Speechless
by Foundation of Dreams
Summary: AH AU. E/B. When Edward meets Bella, she doesn't speak. Will she let him help her find her voice? Will he stay after he finds out her biggest secret? Complete, with epilogue.
1. Chapter 1: First meetings

**So...here we go! I've started editting. Here is the new and improved chapter one! Ash beta'd this.**

**In case you're a first time reader of Speechless, let me fill you in. You see, I've officially completed this story, but, reading over it, I discovered I made a TON of mistakes with dates and such, so, I'm going back and fixing things, and just generally improving the story. **

**Have fun reading!**

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Bella

I was sitting on a stool behind the counter reading my favorite book. It had been a slow day at the bookstore I worked at, in a corner of New York City. I glanced up at the clock on the wall above the door and brushed a piece of my brown hair behind my ear. There were fifteen minutes until nine. Fifteen more minutes until I could lock up and go home**. **The book was truly captivating – after seven times of reading, it still hadn't lost the heartbreak and suspense. It was one of those calm sort of days – customers were few and they had been scattered around the bookstore, browsing through our vast collection of books. They had mostly been regular customers, smiling at me as they paid for their books, not trying to start a conversation as they knew I wouldn't answer.

I looked down at my book again and read a few lines before I heard the bells on the door tinkle softly, like wind chimes as the door opened. They were soon drowned out by the burst of noise the open door let in. It was hard to escape the noise in the city that never sleeps. I looked up hesitantly, out of habit, to see if the customer was a new face or not, and then had to catch my breath. A man had just walked into the shop. A _beautiful _man. I'd guess he was around 6'2. He was wearing a pair of plain, dark-wash jeans and a long sleeved, dark green shirt that clung to his muscles. He had bronze colored, thick, messy hair and striking, bright green eyes. He had a jacket slung casually over his right arm. I'd guess him to be in his early twenties. He looked around the shop for a minute before he saw me, staring at him**. **I blushed and averted my eyes quickly.

"Ah. Hello." He smiled and I had to stop to catch my breath again. I could describe his appearance in one word: Dazzling. His vivid green eyes were twinkling. He walked forwards and held out a slip of paper in his pale, strong hands. I took it very slowly, trying and failing to keep my fingers from trembling as his cool fingers brushed against my warm hand. I read the neat writing on it.

_A Swiftly Tilting Planet _by Madeleine L'Engle.

"Can you help me find that book?" The man asked me, slipping his hands into his pockets. He had artist's hands; they were strongly built and his fingers were long. His voice was pure velvet – smooth and musical. I nodded, mentally shaking myself, and slid down from the stool, placing my book hurriedly on the counter after glancing at the page number. The man glanced at it briefly, and I think he chuckled under his breath, but I chose to ignore that. I knew there were a couple of copies of this book somewhere…the problem was I wasn't sure where. The shop was never really in good order, with books shelved in the wrong spots, and stacks of books towering in random spots where they couldn't fit into the shelves. I was never bored, at least.

The stunning man followed me as I wove through the bookcases. I could feel his eyes on me and a blush started to creep up my neck. I busied myself in trying to remember where I'd last seen the book, and focusing on not tripping.

"So…I'm Edward. Masen. Edward Masen." He said, stuttering a little. I sighed. I'd been worried that he would try to start a conversation with me. I turned my head towards him and smiled, showing that I had heard him, and then went back to my search. There was another moment of silence.

"Do I get to learn your name?" He asked. I could practically hear his amused smile. From the corner of my eyes, I saw an amused expression play around his beautiful face, and again, my breath disappeared. What was with me today?

I traced my fingers across the books by Madeline L'Engle and halted at the book he was looking for. _Ah. Here it is__**. **_I shook my head as an answer to his pending question and I pulled the book off the shelf and handed it to him. He had an eyebrow raised and he glanced down at the book. I walked to the counter and he held out a twenty for it. Glancing at the clock, I was happy to find that I could leave as soon as he did – the fifteen minutes had passed as quickly as I had wanted them to. I gave him his change, and while he put the book in the laptop case slung over his shoulder and his wallet in his back pocket, I walked hurriedly to the door, took my coat off the rack and pulled it on, then my hat. I checked my pockets. Phone, wallet, keys, chapstick...I had everything. The man, Edward, shifted from one foot to the other. He was behind me as I checked for a second time.

"May I have your phone number?" he asked. The words were rushed, like he was nervous. I chewed on my bottom lip. _You just met him. You know nothing about him. He could hurt you. _The last thought settled it. The painful spasm of fear and dread paralyzed my muscles as I saw the recollection of the last time I had done this and I made up my mind immediately. He didn't know anything about me – we had just met, and for all I knew, he could be a two timer – he must have a girlfriend, or even a wife, as far as his stunning looks went. I shook my head, a little regretfully. His face fell and he heaved a nervous sigh, and then smiled.

"Well then…Good night." He inclined his head towards me and walked past me, out of the shop, the bells on the door tinkling softly. I exhaled slowly to myself and felt a little guilty. He hadn't done anything to deserve me thinking of him like that – thinking of him like _him._ Edward seemed pretty well mannered, and I felt ashamed, considering the fear I felt when he had asked me for my number. _Oh well. Nothing you can do about it now. _I looked down at the slip of paper still in my hands with his writing on it. It fit with his grace and the sense of decorum and music that went with him. I placed it in the back pocket of my jeans. The bells tinkled faintly as I shut and locked the door. I turned to face the busy street, where the crowd surged and the headlights lit phone buzzed in my pocket as I started walking towards home. I took it out and found that Emmett, my brother, had texted me.

_Bella, are you almost home? You're running late…_

I smiled. It felt nice to have someone looking out for me, but, at times, it got on my nerves. I was nineteen, I didn't need a babysitter. I wrote the reply as I leaned against the wall of a building. I wasn't all that great at texting and walking at the same time.

_Yeah. Someone came in just a few minutes before closing so…But I'm on my way now. I'll come over and say hello before I go to bed._

I was able to put a couple of blocks behind me before I got Emmett's reply.

_Okay. See you soon. _

I slid my phone back into the pocket of my jacket and made my way through the crowded sidewalks of NYC, inhaling the cold gusts of wind that blew across my face. The wind felt cool and fresh, tingling my nose and tickling my skin. I was thinking about the long day I'd had. But who was I to complain? Without the job, I would be back in Forks with Charlie. Visiting, I could handle. Living...I don't think so. And it was a good job. I didn't have to do too much, and I didn't really need to talk either. And most of the regulars had caught onto a few bits of sign language, and I had a small dry erase board to use if I needed it, so I could have short conversations with a few. My thoughts drifted back to Edward. I hardly saw guys like him any more. His eyes were beautiful, and if this was a few years back, I would have been more than glad to give him my number. I sighed and shivered a little, pushing the thoughts of my past out of my head. _I don't even know why someone as gorgeous as him would ask for my number…_Edward Masen. It was weird how I still managed to remember his name – and then perfectly recall his face in my mind. It kept popping up in my mind at random times as I branched on the different things in my mind…like how I needed a new jacket...

And then**, **I found myself flat on my back on the ground, looking up towards the sky, the back of my head hurting. _Damn it. This is why I should keep my thoughts on my feet._ I started pick myself up from the ground. I carefully sat up, then stood, only to lose my footing and crash down again. I swore in my head, then found someone running to help me, the pitter-pattering sound of their feet on the sidewalk**. **A pale, familiar looking, male hand appeared in front of me and I looked up into a pair of very familiar eyes. Stunning green eyes. _Edward…? _I took his hand and he helped me up. I felt the back of my head and winced. No blood, but it was tender. Soon to be lumpy, and bruised and hurting through the night**. **Edward watched with concern flitting across his face as he pulled and I found myself safely on my feet, his hand in mine and his other hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" his voice had almost the same effect on me his eyes did. I nodded slowly. _Thank you. _I mouthed the words and walked away as quickly as I dared. I risked a glance back when I got to the corner, and he was still standing there, watching me. I crossed the street. The encounter had jolted another memory in my mind, with the way his hand rested on my shoulder while the other warmed my own hand. It seemed there was no escaping my memories tonight. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes again as I turned to go home, and he looked crestfallen, as if it was his fault that my reaction had taken place. He was still standing in the same spot as I walked around the corner.

I had a strange feeling that this wasn't going to be the last I saw of Edward Masen. And, even stranger, I was kind of glad.

**Edward's POV**

I watched the nameless woman walk away. She was moving so quickly, it was like she was scared of something….me? I didn't think I'd done anything unusual. I didn't move from the spot, being jostled by people walking around me. She glanced back a couple of times and I continued to watch her until she rounded a corner, passing out of my sight. I sighed and looked down at the sidewalk. I was about to turn around and start walking again when a flash of blue caught my eye. I stooped and picked up the object. It was a girls' wallet. I opened it and staring at me from a drivers' license photo was the girl. Her name was Isabella Swan. I stared at the photo a minute more before flipping the wallet shut again and pocketing it. I smiled.

I don't know what it was about her, but she was different than other women. I just couldn't let her go...I needed another chance to get to know her, just to see her again.

And, I now had the perfect excuse to do just that.

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**There we go, chapter one! I hope you like it so far. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

**Editted.**

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Bella

I knocked on the dark blue door to Emmett's apartment. _And Rosalie's, _I added as an after thought. I was still getting used to Rose living with my brother, even though they'd been together for years. They'd been best friends when they were little, survived the awkward middle school years together, and, soon after Rose started highschool, started dating, when Rose was fourteen and Emmett was fifteen. They were perfect for each other. I didn't think I would ever have someone like Emmett was for Rose.

Mainly because, just watching them brought up bad memories. Actually doing things like that would be ten time worse. If Emmett or Rose had known, they would be more careful, but I hadn't told them. They deserved to be happy. While I was thinking, the sound of the lock clicking came from behind the door and then the hinges groaned a little as the door opened. Emmett was standing there, his phone in his hand and one arm in his black leather jacket. He looked down at me standing there in his door way and started laughing his deep, booming laugh. Confusion filled my mind. Why was he laughing? Did I have something on my face? Was my hair sticking up? Was the zipper on my jeans unzipped? I looked down and checked it, just in case. He just laughed harder; his grin wide and boisterous, and then I felt my phone go off in my pocket. Now that I was in the quiet hallway of our apartment building rather than in the crowded streets, I could hear my loud ring tone, A Hundred Years by Five For Fighting. I pulled my phone out of my pocket with an all-knowing smile on my face, thinking I had a good idea of who it was. Sure enough, it was a message from Emmett.

_Bella, I'm coming to find you. You should be home already. _

I rolled my eyes at him and put my phone back in my pocket as I walked inside. _"Find you,_" what was I…a lost tourist girl in Tokyo?

_You worry about me too much. _I lifted my hands and modeled the words in my head to sign language, a little exasperatedly. He shut the door behind me and I could practically feel him sticking his tongue out at the back of my head. I sat down on the couch and a moment later, Rosalie came out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of extremely short red shorts. In fact I wasn't even sure if they could be called shorts, but that was me. She was also wearing a plain white tank top and was towel drying her long blonde hair as she walked.

"Hey Bella. How was work?" she tossed the towel onto the dryer and sat down next to me on the couch with her legs crossed. Her voice was soft and silky and soprano, as girlish as usual.

_It was alright. Not very busy today. _I told her with my hands, wondering if I should tell her about my meeting with Edward Masen. I decided against it. She would tell Alice and they would both interrogate me about every tiny detail**, **then try to set me up with him or something. You never knew with Alice and Rose. Emmett sat down in his chair and turned on the TV. Rosalie smiled.

"That's good." She turned her torso and grabbed a brush off the end table by couch and started to brush her golden hair. I stood up and they both looked at me.

_I'm going to go home. I still need to eat dinner and I'm going to bed right after I finish. Night. _My hands moved quickly and their eyes followed them. I waved to Rosalie and hugged Emmett before walking out the door.

I closed it gently behind me and sighed softly as I unlocked the matching door to my own apartment, right next door to Emmett and Rosalie's. With Rose being this famous model, I know that they could afford way, way better than this, but I couldn't. In fact I could barely afford this. But, I knew that they were here because they wanted to watch out for me. I couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty about it.

I stepped inside and locked the door behind me. I always felt like a third wheel whenever I was with both Emmett and Rose at the same time. I sighed again and took off my coat as I walked through the large room that served as both the kitchen and living room to the corner reserved for my bedroom. I hung up the coat in my wardrobe, an almost extinct thing nowadays, and dug through the drawers in my small dresser until I found what I was looking for; my favorite pair of comfy pajamas, a pair of light blue PJ pants that had penguins printed all over them (hey, I've had them since I was in middle school…) and an old tee shirt of Emmett's that was huge on me. I set them out on my bed and took a hot shower before changing, not bothering to empty out the pockets of my jeans tonight.

I pulled on my PJs and pulled my hair up into a messy bun while it dried and walked back out to the living-room/kitchen. I sighed as I looked around my one room apartment. The tiny bath room was the only separate room in the entire place. I sat down on my bed and pulled on my slippers, bunny, of course, then padded over to the kitchen area. This was the best I could afford with the money I earned**, **and I knew that Charlie and Renee would give me the money for something better, but I didn't want help. I had been a burden for everyone I knew for my entire life. I was doing this on my own. I dug around in the cabinets and finally settled on a can of Chef Boyardee raviolis for my dinner. I heated it up on the stove; no microwave, and looked through my mail, leaning against the bar. _Junk. Junk. More junk…_my shoulders slumped. _Didn't I just pay the bills? _I thought, biting my lip. I took a deep breath and slit the first one open; heating and air conditioning. I frowned and set the mail down on the counter and stirred the ravioli before walking to the thermostat and turning the heat down. I couldn't afford to be running it so warm in here…I would just have to bundle up this winter. I went back to the kitchen and turned off the stove, picking up bill after bill and biting my lip a little harder with each one I read. It seemed like the stack would never end, bill upon bill, then a postcard, then a few interesting catalogues, and then another bill, then another, then another……

But eventually the pile of annoyingly repetitive envelopes did end, but by this time my food was cold again. I dumped it into a bowl anyways and sat on one of the stools at the bar, spooning the food into my mouth with out tasting it. When I was finished I walked around to the sink on the other side of the bar and washed the dishes I had used using as little water as possible, dried them, and put them away. I glanced back at the bills on the bar counter one last time before I walked back to my bed and kicked the slippers off my feet. I grabbed an extra blanket and spread it over my bed, flicked off the lights, and climbed into bed, putting off thinking about my predicament for a few short hours.

**Edward's POV**

The key got jammed halfway through the lock as I tried to unlock the door, but with a little persuasion, it turned. Opening the door, I groped against the dark wall until I found the light switch, so after a brief click, the room became illuminated with buttery light. I hung up my coat on one of the hooks by the door and walked down the hall and up the winding stairs to the top level of my apartment, where the master bedroom and the guest bedrooms were. Downstairs there was the living room, the kitchen, my personal...office? I wasn't exactly sure what to call it, so office would have to do. And the bathroom. I walked through the hall upstairs and into my bedroom. I sat down on the edge of my bed and took off my shoes. I couldn't get the girl out of my head. Isabella Swan…She looked like the kind of person that would prefer to be called Bella, rather than Isabella though. She hadn't said a word; both times I'd seen her that night. I wanted to see her again, hear her voice. I smiled as I took her wallet out of my pocket and looked at her driver's license again. She was beautiful…her mahogany hair….her chocolaty hazel eyes fringed by long lashes, her ivory skin**. **I had wanted to touch her face so badly...I stared at the picture for another minute before coming to my senses. I snapped the wallet shut and tossed it onto my desk. What was wrong with me? I felt like a stalker.

"Jeez, Edward. What are you doing?" I asked myself. "Great. Now I'm talking to myself too." I groaned and shut my mouth.

_Tomorrow, you're taking it back. You'll get to see her tomorrow. _I thought to myself, pulling my shirt over my head. I aimed it at the laundry bag across the room, and with a flick of my wrist, I shot it straight through the top. I wasn't all that hungry; I'd had dinner with a friend, but I could use a snack.

I slouched into the kitchen, still thinking about Bella's peculiarly communicative eyes, and opened the pantry, grabbed a bag of chips and dumped some into a bowl**. **Carrying it to the sofa, I sat down slowly and closed my eyes, smelling the pine air freshener for a moment. I picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, stopping on a Tom Hanks movie. I couldn't quite remember what it was called, but I remembered liking it when I watched it a few months ago. It was about halfway through, and all though I was looking at the screen, I wasn't really watching it. I was really thinking about Bella, her beautiful, wavy, chocolate brown hair and her eyes to match. I wondered why she was so silent, never speaking word, I wondered what her voice would sound like, and I kept thinking of what to say to her tomorrow, when I would go back to the store….

Before I knew it, I was asleep on the couch and dreaming about her beautiful face**…**

**Bella's POV**

I woke up to sunlight streaming through my window, making me see red spots as I slowly opened my eyes. I quickly glanced at the clock on the stove. It was eight in the morning. I rolled out of bed, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I pulled on a pair of light blue jeans and a dark lavender tee shirt before walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth, brush my hair, wash my face…all the normal stuff. I didn't have to be to work until two o'clock and I was planning on looking around for second job until then. I looked in the mirror after I was finished. I sighed, looking at the purple bruises under my eyes. I hadn't been sleeping well at all the past few weeks. I opened a drawer under the sink and used some of the make up that Alice had given me to help cover them up, then walked out to the kitchen to find some breakfast. I found a bowl and poured some cereal into it, then looked in the fridge for some milk. Out of milk. Guess I was having dry cheerios this morning.

I carried the bowl over to the couch and switched on the old TV. I didn't have cable; I couldn't afford that luxury, but I did have the local channels. I watched the news and listened to the troubles of the world while I ate my cheerios. I couldn't take more than a few minutes and shut the TV off after I finished. I set the bowl on the coffee table then dug out a pair of tennis shoes, pulling them on, ready to go looking for a job. I hunted down the pair of jeans I had worn the day before and took out my keys and phone, then headed for the door, grabbing my worn out jacket on the way out.

I walked out into the hallway and locked my door, then trotted towards the stairs. Bad idea. I tripped over the rug and fell flat on my face. _Hello, floor. Good morning, how are? _I asked in my head. The floor and I were very well acquainted. I ignored the sting of my cheek and palms and as I stood up and dusted myself off I remembered my wallet. I walked, very carefully, back to my apartment and unlocked the door. I walked back to my bed where I laid the jeans, and searched the pockets again. Nothing. I chewed my lip and tried to remember where I had put it, but I was coming up blank. I spent an entire hour searching my apartment, panic creeping closer and closer with every minute I spent searching. I knocked on Emmett and Rose's door, hopping from one foot to the other, tears forming in my eyes as I waited. After a couple minutes of waiting the door swung open, revealing Emmett, pulling a shirt on, wearing nothing else except a pair of black boxers. He looked grumpy.

"What, Bella? It's nine fifteen and I have the late shift tonight!" He whined, sounding just like he did when we were kids. A couple of tears leaked out from behind my eyelashes and his face rearranged itself into a concerned one.

"Hey…what's the matter?" he asked softly. He was really just a big…make that huge, teddy bear.

_I can't find my wallet. Can you help me look around here? _I signed quickly. He nodded and began looking at once. I joined in, searching through the couch cushions for it. I had lost my wallet. With my credit cards in it. With my bank account card in it. With the little cash I had in it. I was beginning to panic now. After a half an hour, neither me or Emmett found my wallet. I wiped my eyes and he looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry Bella. You'll just have to report that your cards were lost and cancel them." He said sympathetically. I nodded and hugged him, feeling like a kid again; I was so little next to him. He squeezed me gently and I left, shutting the door behind me. I sighed and continued on my way, down the hall, down the stairs, out the doors, into the city. I needed to look for a job. I would report the lost cards on my break. I sighed and walked through the quieter streets around my apartment until I got to the busier part of New York, and became another face in the crowd, wondering what else the day had in store for me.

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**Like it? Love it? Hate? Review it?**


	3. Chapter 3: Friendship

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Editted

Another chapter up at last. Sorry about the wait! Hopefully, it won't take that long again.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!!! Now...on with the story!

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**Bella's** **POV**

I trudged into the bookstore to start my shift, feeling completely worthless and inadequate. I hadn't been able to apply anywhere. There wasn't much work for a nineteen year old girl who didn't talk. I knew that the only reason I had gotten the job at the bookstore was because the owner was an old friend of my mom's. Heidi, the girl who had the shift before me, smiled cheerfully at me as I hung up my coat on the rack by the door. Seeing her face was really comforting – the crinkly sapphire eyes of hers sparkled in care and concern, her middle-aged face stern but motherly.

"Hey, Bella. How're you?" She asked me as she started gathering her things. Her voice was pleasant and honey-like – the warmth of it never failed to unwind you.

_I'm doing alright. Nothing new, really__**, **_my hands moved quickly**.** Heidi and I were the only ones who worked here, it was a small enough shop that we only needed one person working at a time. Luckily, she had taken sign language in highschool, so she could talk with me. Her eyebrows were raised by this time – she clearly knew I was lying. She always knew.

"Don't lie to me, Hon. I know something's wrong." Heidi said her tone disapproving. Heidi was several years older than me and took it on herself to look after me, like a mother would. Her own daughter had moved away a few years ago, and I suspected that Heidi was lonely. I sighed. She was so**...**perceptive. I was just about to start signing the story to her when I heard a voice I could never forget behind me. The velvety depth – the tone….

**Edward's POV**

"Does this have anything to do with it?" I asked, holding up her wallet. I had been browsing the shelves for a half and hour, waiting for Bella to come. I had asked the woman who was working at the time when her shift started and was happy to find that I didn't have to wait long. I hadn't heard her speak, but the other woman had asked her what was wrong…

Bella whirled around so fast that her hair whipped her cheek. Her eyes widened – an array of emotions, most of which I could figure were confusion, fear, and elation, colored them, along with the ever-present hurt. She looked at the woman next to her and her hands started moving. I watched, intrigued.

"Bella asks why you have her wallet." The other woman said. I think she said her name was Heidi. Her voice was laced with suspicion, as if she thought that I had stolen it or something.

I was too confused with the hands. The older woman had just asked a question for Bella. So that meant Bella couldn't speak. I felt like smacking my head, remembering all the times I had asked her stuff and she had just ignored me.

"I found it on the sidewalk after you left. It must've fallen out of your pocket when you fell." I explained, looking into her chocolate brown eyes and holding out the wallet to her. "I came to return it."

**Bella's POV**

"I came to return it." He said softly, holding it out to me, his vibrant green eyes boring into mine. I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks and wanted to look away so badly, but couldn't. I reached out and took the wallet after hesitating for a moment. Heidi glanced down at her watch.

"Oh my, look at the time. I must be going, Dear. We'll talk tomorrow, alright?" she said, pulling her coat on and slipping out the door before I could protest. The little traitor. I rolled my eyes in the direction of the door before I walked behind the counter and picked up a dry erase marker and the small dry erase board next to the counter. I wrote a simple, _Thank you_, on it in my untidy hand writing and turned it so that he could see what I wrote. His eyes scanned the words quickly and he smiled a crooked smile that made me catch my breath.

"You're very welcome." He said, still smiling. He leaned against the counter, making me feel uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. It was strange…when he was near, I felt the familiar sense of dread and fear…but knew I was safe at the same time.

"So, your name is Isabella Swan, but you go by Bella, correct?" He asked me. I nodded, realizing that I could no longer escape conversation.

"Well, as you know, if you remember me, I go by Edward." He said, smiling at me again, dazzling me.

_"Yes, I remember you." _I wrote on the board. Of course I remembered him. How could I forget? He read the sentence quickly.

"May I ask how old you are?" I smiled. The conversation made it seem like we were in kindergarten and after another few moments of talking, he would declare that I was his best friend in the whole wide world and take my hand, skipping off to the play ground with me without a care in the world. At that mental image I really did laugh, then blushed as Edward gave me a confused, but amused look.

"What?" he asked me, his velvety voice sounding very confused; I quickly erased the last thing I wrote on the board before answering him.

_"Nothing, nothing. I'm nineteen, by the way. You?"_

"I really don't get to know?" he sighed, seeming truly disappointed. "You're hard to read, Bella. It annoys me a little…" He shook his head. "I'm twenty-two." I bit my lip. The age difference increased my sense of fear, but I tried to ignore it. _Isabella Marie Swan. Just because he's a guy who happens to be three years older than you doesn't mean he's-_

My thought was cut off by the tinkle of the bells on the door as one of the shop regulars came in. It was Mr. Frank, he was a sweet old man who was in his late sixties and came into the shop at least once a week. I erased the last thing I had written on the board and waved at him, forgetting about Edward. He smiled widely, a gold tooth glinting as the light hit it.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bella!" He tipped his hat to me.

_"Afternoon, Mr. Frank! How's your wife? Is she over her cold yet?" _I wrote quickly and turned the board so that he could see it. This was something that I loved about working at such a small store. Getting to know the people.

"Yes, she's fit as a fiddle now. She told me to thank you for soup you sent her." Mr. Frank and his wife lived alone, they never had any children. They had moved to New York City sometime ago, "Long before you were born, my dear." As Mr. Frank had put it when I asked him, for his business, and now that he was retired, they didn't have the resources to move to someplace quieter.

"_Anytime. You guys are like family to me." _I wrote. His eyes scanned the board and I was surprised to see that they glistened a little.

"Thank you, my Dear." He said quietly. I nodded, then erased what I had written to replace it with,

"_The book you ordered last week is here." _Successfully changing the subject. I turned to look on the shelves behind the counter and after a moments searching, found the book he had requested the week before. I turned around quickly and tripped over my own feet as I did. I just barely caught myself on the counter, keeping me from falling.

"Are you alright?" I jumped when I heard Edward's concerned voice. I really had forgotten that he was there. I nodded and grabbed the board.

"_I'm a klutz, don't worry about it." _I wrote before holding out the book to Mr. Frank. Any traces of moisture around his eyes were gone and he took it with a smile.

"Wonderful. Delia will be so excited. This is her anniversary present, you know." He said, stroking the cover reverently. "It was her favorite book when she was in her teens. She lost her copy a few years back…" He then took his wallet out of his back pocket. I grabbed the board again.

_"You paid for it when you placed the order, Mr. Frank." _I wrote and showed him the board as he placed a few bills on the counter. He smiled.

"Ah, yes, I did, didn't I? Well, consider this my tip. I know you need it, child." He said the last bit in a serious tone as he walked towards the door. I shook my head as the bells on the door tinkled softly as he left. He moved pretty fast for an old man…I sighed, knowing the my cheeks were slightly red as I picked up the money, expecting just a few dollars, maybe enough for dinner tonight. I flipped through the few bills and gasped, then checked again.

He had left me over two hundred dollars.

**Edward's POV**

I was surprised to see tears running down Bella's cheeks as she stared at the money in her hands. I hated those tears. I wanted to wipe them away and make sure that they never came back. Seeing a trail of miserable tears on Bella's beautiful face was like seeing an angel die; beautiful and terrible at the same time.

"What's wrong?" I asked, making my voice gentle. She looked up, startled,, and quickly wiped away her tears and smiled shakily.

_"It's nothing." _She wrote on the little board. I frowned at the words written in blue dry-erase marker. It was obvious what was really going on. She was having money problems? I thought about how much money I had in my account. After getting to know her a little better I could offer to help but…she didn't really seem like someone to accept help.

"Okay then..." I said carefully. I didn't want her to be offended by anything I said. This was a dangerous subject. To my relief, she just nodded and slipped the money into her pocket, then erased what she had written on the board and wrote something new. She then turned it so I could read what she wrote.

_"Not to be rude, but why are you hanging around here? Don't you have a job or something?" _She said. I laughed aloud when I was finished reading it.

"I'm a piano teacher and I don't have to give any lessons today." I smiled as she tucked a piece of her long, mahogany hair behind her ear. I wanted to play with her hair more than I wanted air at the moment. I jammed my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching out and un tucking that piece of hair. "You know, if you want me to leave…" I said, pushing off the counter and taking a step back, hoping that she would protest. I really didn't want to leave. I never wanted to leave her. She shook her head vigorously, her beautiful hair flying everywhere. I caught the scent of some kind of flowers from it and inhaled deeply, memorizing the scent. She blushed a bright red and grabbed the board again and wrote quickly.

_"I didn't mean you have to go. Stay if you want." _It read.

**Bella's POV**

I felt stupid. First I ask him accidentally to leave – then to stay. I just don't know what's wrong.

Or right.

Because there is one tiny detail I just uncovered from the depth of my mind – though I hardly thought about it, the warm, glowing feeling on the side of my heart now had a name for it, from me.

Friendship**.**


	4. Chapter 4: Pizza Stealer

****

Editted.

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Bella's POV

It was approximately a week since I'd meet Edward and I had to say, it was the happiest week of my life. He'd been coming to bookstore, with dinner, every night and staying until I locked up, then walking me home. I still hadn't shown him the inside of my apartment, or told Emmett about him. I hadn't even told Rose or Alice and I was surprised that I had kept him a secret for so long. I knew my luck wouldn't last though, so tonight I was going to introduce Edward and Emmett…and hope that Emmett didn't scare Edward away.

Although it had been a great week, it had also been a stressful and confusing one. I was arguing against my self in my mind constantly about getting this close to Edward. I'd sworn to never get close to someone like this again, yet, here I was. I sighed and climbed up the ladder with a book in my hands to put it onto the shelf as the shop's bells tinkled.

"Bella?" I smiled and my heart jumped at the sound of that beautiful voice, only to be scolded by my brain a second later. I placed the book carefully in it's spot and was about to started back down the ladder, only to slip on the last rung and land on my butt. _Wonderful. _I thought as Edward appeared just in time to see my fall. I blushed crimson as he chuckled, then walked forwards to help me up, holding out his hand to me. I took it and electric shock made me jump. I was sure I had been able to see the electricity flow between our hands. Looking up, Edward looked surprised as well. _He felt it too? _I wondered as I stood up carefully, brushing the seat of my pants off. I touched my finger tips to my chin then moved my hand a few inches away from my chin, saying "Thank you" in sign language. I had been able to teach him a few words in the past few days, but things were going slowly. He smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"Anytime, Bells. Just please, _try _to be more careful?" He pleaded, his voice sounding exasperated. I rolled my eyes and took a note pad out of my pocket and pulled a pencil from the base of my ponytail. Edward gave me a strange look as I did so and I had to laugh.

_"I've told you a hundred times, I'm trying to be careful!" _I wrote as neatly as I could before holding it up for him to see. I waited until I was sure that he'd finished before tucking the pad back into my pocket and putting the pencil back into it's spot and walking towards my perch behind the counter. Two days ago Edward, after asking my permission, had dragged one of the large bean bag chairs out of the children's corner over to an empty space behind the counter. It had become _his_ spot. He'd given me money to order a new chair for the kids' corner, after much arguing about it.

"I don't want you to get in trouble with the owner!" He'd insisted and after awhile I got tired of saying no and just let him give me the stupid money.

"Can I ask you something?" Edward asked suddenly after we'd both gotten settled in our spots. He sounded a little nervous and I was curious. I nodded quickly.

"It's kind of a personal one…if you don't want to answer it, just say that you don't want to talk about it and I'll drop it, okay? I promise." He said quickly. I nodded again, but slower this time. He took a deep breath before saying,

**Edward's POV**

"Why don't you talk?" I asked, almost slurring the words together in my haste to say them. I was afraid that I would be touching a nerve, that she would be angry with me for asking, but I was so curious. I really wanted to know. I watched as her chocolate eyes grew sad and dull, even pained and she picked up the little whiteboard and began to write. It seemed to take her a long time and I could feel myself sweating in my nervousness, waiting to read her answer. She finally handed the board to me to let me read what she wrote.

_"I don't want to tell you why, I'm very sorry, Edward. What I will tell you is this: _

_There's nothing wrong with my voice. If I choose to, I could be telling you this with my own voice, this very minute. I don't speak because I don't want to." _She said. After reading it I nodded, handing it back to her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't ha-" I stopped when she held up her hand. I stayed silent as she quickly erased everything on the board and scribbled something else on it.

_"Do not apologize. You aren't the first person to ask and you probably won't be the last. And that's all I have to say about that." _I read. I recognized that she really wouldn't say anything else on the subject, so I dropped it.

"Do you like the movie, Forest Gump?" I asked, smiling. She tilted her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows. It was something she did when she was confused. I chuckled and pointed to the last sentence she had written.

"You quoted him." I said. She scanned the message and laughed before erasing it and writing a new one.

_"I did! And yes, I like it a lot." _She wrote, smiling.

"Me too." I told her. "We should watch it together sometime." I hinted. Bella shrugged and turned back to a book that she was reading, but I could've sworn I saw her smile first.

**Bella's POV**

_Bella, this is going too far. You need to stop. _My head told me, while my heart said, _He's different, Bells! He couldn't do anything like…_I physically cringed away from the name and it was just my luck that Edward noticed. He leaned forwards a little bit and his face was concerned.

"Hey…are you alright?" he asked, his voice gentle and worried. I nodded quickly and smiled at him. He didn't look like he completely believed me, but let it drop anyways. That was one of the great things about Edward; he didn't pry. He glanced up at the clock above the door, as did I. It was around six-thirty.

"Hey, do you want me to go get food now? I'm getting kind of hungry, at least." He offered. I nodded, I was hungry too. He stood up and stretched.

"How does…Dairy Queen sound?" he asked, pulling on his coat. It actually sounded amazing. I wrote down what I wanted on a sheet of paper in my little notepad, then ripped it out and gave it to him. I would pay him when he got back. He took it and read it once, then bowed to me jokingly.

"I'll be back in a little while." Edward said, smiling that crooked smile that made me forget to breathe and walking backwards towards the door. I laughed and waved, then went back to my book, which was "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen. It was one of my favorites.

After Edward came back with dinner, we just talked. Quite a bit too, but not about anything all that serious. Finally, it was time to lock up. I shut off all the lights and Edward helped me into my coat. I pulled on my gloves and hat before stepping outside into the cold wind blowing through the busy streets. Edward waited while I locked the door and slipped the keys into my pocket carefully, then we headed towards my apartment.

**Edward's POV**

I was always a little anxious when I walked Bella home, not for myself, but because she lived in a rougher part of NYC. I watched as she ignored her surroundings, looking straight ahead as she walked, her mahogany colored hair swirling around her head as the wind blew. I had to admire her. I stood by her, trying to shield her from the wind the best I could as she unlocked the door to the apartment building, then held the door open for her. I followed her up the steep stairs and down the dimly lit hall, then she turned to me outside her door, like she was about to ask me something.

**Bella's POV**

I was about to tell Edward that I wanted him to meet Emmett when the door to apartment opened. I whirled around and groaned. There was Emmett, wearing his pajama pants and no shirt, carrying _my _leftover pizza bag. That was going to be my lunch tomorrow. I was furious and regretted giving him a spare key.

"Hey, Bells! I was just going to ask if-" I cut him off by starting to sign furiously at him.

_"How many times have I told you? You may not have any of my food, if you need more, go to the store and get some yourself. Hand over your key, now." _I held out my hand.

"Aw, Bella! Come on!! It's just some pizza. I'm sorry, I'll put it back…" he pleaded. I was finding it hard to resist the pout. Why in the world did Alice teach him that? I stamped my foot and gave an annoyed yell. Emmett sighed and dropped the key into my outstretched hand.

**Edward's POV**

I had to admit, even though I was surprised to a shirtless guy coming out of Bella's apartment, it was amusing to watch them. Bella was so cute when she was angry. Then the man looked in my direction and narrowed his eyes at me. Oh God, I hope that this wasn't her boyfriend…not that she'd ever mentioned having a boyfriend. But, this guy was huge. He looked like he could break me in half, to tell the truth.

"Who's your friend, Bella?" he asked, looking at her. She turned and looked at me and I could tell that she had forgotten I was with her. She signed something to man, then wrote something down on her notepad for me.

_"Edward, this is Emmett, my ANNOYING brother." _I read, then sighed in relief. This wasn't her boyfriend. But…protective older brother? I wasn't sure if that was much better...

Bella's POV

I sighed and ducked under Emmett's arm to shut my door, then started pushing on Emmett's side, trying to make him move towards his own door. It didn't work. He looked down at me and laughed.

"Keep trying, Bells. I could stand here all night." And then, his door opened and Rose walked out and looked at Emmett. Her hair was wet and she was wearing one of his shirts, which looked like it was drowning her, and a pair of her own pants. She crossed her arms.

"Why are you stealing Bella's food again?" She asked, her tone angry. Emmett's eyes widened.

"Rosie! I thought you were in the shower…" he said, sounding scared. I started laughing, leaning against my door. Rosalie had Emmett wrapped around her finger.

"I _was _in the shower. Now, I am not, obviously. Now, give Bella back whatever you took from her this time and _march!_" She shouted, pointing back into their apartment. Edward was laughing softly too now.

"Yes, Ma'am." Emmett said meekly, handing me the bag of pizza and walking quickly back into his apartment, not before giving Edward a final glare. Once he was inside, Rose sighed.

"Sorry, Bella. I can't leave him alone for a minute…he's like a little kid." She said in an exasperated tone. I laughed and handed her the spare key.

_"Keep it away from him, please." _I signed to her, my hands moving quickly. Rose laughed and nodded, looking at Edward curiously.

"Night, Bella. " she sang, winking at me before walking gracefully back into the apartment. The door slammed and you could hear her muffled yells through the door. I laughed before turning back to look at Edward, who had an amused smile on his face. I made the sign for sorry and he nodded.

"It's fine. My family is pretty crazy too." He said, chuckling. I smiled.

**Edward's POV**

I smiled back at Bella and, after a moment of considering, stepped forward and hugged her quickly. Her body was tense, but a second later, she returned it.

"Goodnight, Bella." I said, turning and walking back down the hall. I made it halfway down the stairs before I heard a door open.

"Bella, Emmett told me to tell you that your water's been shut off. _We need to talk._" That was Emmett's girlfriend, Rose I think. Bella's water had been shut off? I frowned. She in deeper than I thought.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you are _not _doing just fine on your own. It's time for you to swallow your damn pride and let your family help you! Now come on. Emmett already has your dad on the phone." I knew that I shouldn't be listening, so I walked quietly down the rest of the stairs and out the door, back into the cold, even though I wanted to know what was going on.

**Bella's POV**

I was sitting on the couch in Rose and Emmett's apartment, my dad, Charlie on speaker.

"Bella, why haven't you told anyone that you're having problems? We're your family, we can help you, give you a little money. I'm sure your mom and I could scrape some together and send it you." Needless to say, I was annoyed. Furious. I didn't need any help, I would get along fine on my own. But, I knew that once my mother heard of it, there would be no stopping her. I groaned out loud. Renee was going to freak out and probably show up on my door step with Phil and…

"Bella, I'm writing a check now. I will send it in the morning and you had better take it. If you rip it up, I'm sending another one. Got it?" Charlie said sternly. I sighed and nodded.

"She says 'Okay,' Dad." Emmett said for me. I mouthed "Thanks" to him and he nodded at me.

"Alright. Now, all of you get some sleep." Charlie said. "goodnight. I love you all, and yes, you're included in that, Rosalie." Rose smiled.

"Goodnight, Charlie." Rose said, smiling.

"Love you too, Dad. Night." Emmett hung up the phone. I got up as soon as the phone call ended and stormed out of the room and into my apartment, slamming the door, angry at Emmett. I changed in the dark, not bothering to turn the light on, and crawled under the covers. _How much worse could it get? _I asked myself before I fell asleep.

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**Review please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay!! another chapter!!! Lol. I got pretty excited about it. **

**So, first off, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! y'all's reviews made me smile....particularly DP Fan's!!! THank you all so much!!!**

**Okay. Read the new chapter =) There's a lot of Edward POV in here, just a head's up.**

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Bella's POV

"Psst. Hey, Bella." Some one whispered in my ear. A chill went down my spine and I screamed, hitting whoever it was in the face. I sat up quickly, my eyes flying open, then clapped my hands over my mouth. Emmett was kneeling next to my bed, his head tilted up and blood trickling from his nose.

"Jeez, Bella! I was going to say if you wanted to shower you could use ours, but now I don't know…" I jumped out of bed and got him a few paper towels, feeling incredibly stupid. I'd just punched my brother in the face. I watched as he plugged his nose and when he spoke, it sounded like he was pinching it. I had a hard time holding in my laughter.

"If Rose asks, I tripped and hit my nose on the counter." He said, looking a little upset that his baby sister had just given him a bloody nose. I laughed at him and signed,

_"I think that sounds more like me, Emmett. I don't think Rose will buy it." _Emmett sighed and shook his head, accepting defeat. I smiled as he wandered into the kitchen while I gathered up my clothes for the day and walked over to his apartment.

* * *

"Bella!" a voice I knew very well sang as my door flew open. A familiar looking pixie danced in.

"Isabella Swan. It's Sunday morning. Let's go do…something!" Alice said, excited as ever as she plopped down on my couch. I had to smile, even though I really didn't want to do anything other than sit on the couch and read. Jasper sat down next to Alice and wrapped a protective arm around her tiny body, smiling apologetically at me. I knew that he really didn't want to be dragged into shopping or whatever Alice had planned out in her little pixie mind anymore than I did, but he loved Alice and it was his top priority to keep Alice safe _and_ happy. And he could usually talk her into leaving the shops before she maxed out her credit card. I sighed and sat on my bed.

_"What exactly do you have in mind, Alice?" _I signed to her, hoping that my face looked excited. She opened her mouth excitedly, but was cut off by the tune of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel coming from her purse. She dug around for a minute before she found the phone and answered it.

"What?" She stretched the word out and made it whiny. I wondered who it was. Alice looked very unhappy that the person had chosen this minute to call. She huffed impatiently as she listened to the other person talk. Then she looked over at me and her face suddenly lit up in a way that told me that I should probably run and hide.

"Sure. We'll be there in a few minutes. Bye." She said quickly. Both Jasper and I looked at her questioningly. Alice was smiling in a way that I found slightly evil and I acted quickly.

_"I don't care where you're dragging me or who that was you just talked to me to, you are __**not **__playing Bella Barbie today." _I told her, trying to look stubborn. I must've succeeded because she just sighed and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Okay, my cousin needs help with some stuff at his apartment, so we're going over there for a little while, okay?" Oh. I got what was going on. She wanted to try and set me up with someone. Again. I sighed and decided that I may as well make myself look decent and gave in without a fight, putting on minimal make up and an old pair of blue jeans and my favorite tee-shirt. I grabbed a hoodie that Emmett had when he was in tenth grade and pulled it on. It was still loose on me, but I liked it that way. When I came out of the bathroom Alice and Jasper were exchanging a sweet kiss. Of course, because I wasn't expecting it from something so simple, a flood of images welled up in my head and flashed before my eyes one by one, like a slideshow. I gasped involuntarily and Alice and Jasper broke apart quickly.

"Sorry Bella. Let's go…" Jasper said in his southern accent, sounding a little embarrassed. Neither of them knew…they thought the gasp was out of surprise, not of pain. I shook my head and willed the thoughts away as I stuffed my wallet, phone and keys into my pockets before following them down the stairs.

On the walk to Alice's cousin's, Alice was jabbering away contentedly, as she usually did and Jasper was listening intently to everything she said and was holding onto her hand, while I had my arm hooked through hers. I wasn't really listening to Alice, but I would nod when I needed to, to make sure that she thought I was listening. I was watching the people that we walked by and making up stories about each of them in my head. I was trying to think of one for the woman wearing bright yellow high-tops when I noticed that Jasper was holding open the door of a very nice apartment complex lobby open for me. I mouthed a "sorry" and "thanks" to him after walking quickly inside after Alice. I looked around in awe. This was a nice place, one that made me feel super embarrassed about the place I happened to be calling home.

"Come _on, _Bella!" Alice yelled from the elevator, holding the doors open for me. I jogged over and managed to trip over the crack between the building's floor and the elevator floor. Jasper laughed as he set me on my feet again after he'd figured out that I hadn't managed to hurt myself. I tried to force the blush down as Alice rocked back and forth while waiting to get to the twelfth floor. I gripped the rail tightly; I didn't really like elevators and my stomach was a little queasy at the idea of Alice trying to set me up with _another_ guy. When we reached the twelfth floor I sighed softly and although Alice didn't hear, Jasper did. He walked out of the elevator more slowly than Alice, keeping step with me while she skipped ahead of us.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I tried to talk her out of this, I know how much you hate it when she does this…" he said quietly enough so that Alice wouldn't hear him. I gave him a nervous smile to show how him I was grateful and followed Alice at a quicker pace. She knocked on door number 1217 at the moment when Jasper and I caught up to her. I studied my shoes as the door swung open, letting my hair fall in my face, so I didn't see who answered it. Then I heard the last thing I expected.

"Bella?"

**Edward's POV**

My day just got better. I got to see Bella today, even though the bookstore was closed. She looked like she didn't really want to be here, but her head shot up when she heard her name. Her big brown eyes widened in surprise and her expression was relieved for a minute, then she blushed my favorite shade of red and groaned softly.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Alice said, sounding shocked and betrayed.

"Uh…yeah. We do. Why?" I asked, a little suspicious, as I stood aside to let them come in. Alice danced in first, followed by Jasper, then Bella. Alice hugged me tightly and I had to chuckle as I returned it. She was so short that her head was at my chest. When she let go of me I opened my arms with a hopeful smile to Bella. I hoped I wasn't pushing my luck and was almost afraid to breath, but she stepped forwards and gave me a one armed hug. I wrapped both my arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze, surreptitiously smelling her hair before I let her go. She smelled good…like vanilla and freesia. I had her scent memorized by now, but it was so much better when I could actually smell her.

"Just wondering why Bella didn't tell me she had met a guy…" Alice said, glaring angrily at Bella, who hid behind me. I just laughed.

**Bella's POV**

After getting Alice calmed down and apologizing half-heartedly several times, I got the chance to look around Edward's apartment. It was so big....there was even a second floor, where I guessed the bedrooms were. Right now I was in the living room, sitting on a very comfortable blue couch in front of a large TV. What I had seen of the place was decorated simply, making it obvious that he'd either never had a girl living with him or he'd undone everything that girl did to the place after she left.

I hoped it was the first one.

_Wait a minute, Bella. Why are you acting like this. You aren't allowed to like a guy like that. _My head told me. The other part of it answered back, but I wasn't expecting it.

_Screw it. I like Edward Masen and I want him to like me back._

I blinked in surprise and glanced around nervously, hoping that I hadn't started thinking out loud or something. Nobody was paying any attention to me. Good. I sighed in relief.

"Okay…so I'm going to paint one of the spare bedrooms, but I could use some help…I thought you'd like to help me pick out the color, Alice?" Almost before Edward finished speaking a high pitched squeal filled the room and Alice had jumped on Edward. Jasper was leaning against the wall and laughing softly while Edward had wrapped his arms tightly around Alice to keep her from falling.

"Why did you even ask, Edward? You knew the answer." Jasper said, striding over and gently pulling Alice into his own arms. She smiled at him and pecked him on the lips. I cringed and looked away quickly. I felt eyes on the back of my head and turned around cautiously, praying that Alice and Jasper had decided that this wasn't the place to kiss. Nope. There they were, lips locked, oblivious to the world around them.

"_Isabella Marie Swan!" Charlie roared. I broke away quickly, almost falling off my bed in surprise. A warm hand caught my wrist to keep from falling. I looked up into the ice blue eyes that I loved and smiled, forgetting about my dad standing in the doorway._

_"Time for you to go, Brandon." He said, his voice lethal. Brandon stood up as I adjusted my shirt. _

_"Of course, Chief Swan." He turned to me and kissed me softly on the lips. "See you tomorrow, Babe. Love you." Charlie growled and Brandon straightened up and walked out of the room._

_"We'll talk later." My dad said to me before following him out. _

I gasped and clutched my head as the memory ended. I'd forgotten that I wasn't alone and jumped when I heard the voice of an angel.

"Bella…Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked, peering down at me with those stunning green eyes that were so different than the cold, blue eyes that Brandon had. I nodded numbly at him.

_You see? Liking him is a bad idea. You can't even watch another couple without painful memories coming up. How could you be in a relationship?_ My head asked my heart. And for once, they agreed. I couldn't do this.

But how _couldn't _I do this? I was already in so deep…

**Edward's POV**

I wasn't sure if I believed Bella, but I wasn't about to push her on the subject. It seemed like Jasper and Alice were making her uncomfortable though. I walked over to them and pulled Jasper off.

"I don't need to see you doing this to my baby cousin." I said, glaring at him. I liked Jasper, but Alice was like my little sister. Alice rolled her eyes at me, but skipped towards the stairs.

"Which room is it, Eddie?" She sang as she climbed the stairs, a playful twinkle in her blue eyes.

"Ed_ward_" I growled at her. She knew I hated that nickname. She giggled and I sighed.

"The one at the end of the hall." I called up, watching as Jasper followed Alice. I had a feeling that they would be resuming what I'd interrupted, so I decided to stay downstairs. Maybe get a snack.

"You probably don't want to go up there right now, Bella. Come on, I'm going to find something to eat." I said, holding out my hand to her. She nodded and walked over to me, tripping over a lamp cord. I darted forward to catch her, but she managed not to fall. I chuckled as she blushed. She glared at me, probably for laughing at her, and I stopped right away, but kept smiling. She was so cute when she was angry.

"Sorry, Bells." I said, holding my hand out to her again. I wasn't sure why I was being so confident, but I couldn't take back the action now. She looked at it and was about to take it, but then she bit her lip and gently pushed it away. My shoulders slumped, but I tried not to show how much it hurt.

"This way." I said, walking a few steps in front of her.

**Bella's POV**

I was instantly guilty for hurting Edward, but it was something I had to do! I couldn't get close to him. I just couldn't, no matter how much I wanted to. I sighed, very softly as I followed him into the kitchen. My mouth dropped open as I took it in. It was big. It had a _table _in it. Edward walked to the fridge and opened it, peering inside.

"Um…I have some leftover lasagna?" He said. His voice was off, like he was covering something up. I felt another stab of guilt as I looked around the kitchen wide-eyed. Suddenly, I heard his beautiful laugh. I turned my head to look at him and he was leaning against the counter, watching me.

"I take it you l like my kitchen?" He asked before turning and scooping the yummy looking lasagna out onto two black plates and placed one of them in the microwave. I nodded and signed carefully and slowly to him. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on my hands.

_"You have a table. And a Microwave!" _he started laughing as the microwave beeped. He took out the plate in it and handed it to me with a fork before putting the second one in. I sat down at the table and took a bite. It was actually really good. I sighed and took another bite as he sat down at the other end.

_"It's good! Thank you." _I told him.

"Thanks." He smiled at me, but it seemed a little forced and it didn't reach his eyes like it usually did. I sighed. I couldn't stand it when Edward was like this. I scribbled in the air, telling him that I needed something to write with. He nodded and got up, then walked out of the room.

**Edward's POV**

I searched through the stacks of paper on my desk for a blank sheet. I finally found a writing tablet with nothing written on it. It would work. Now a pen…I looked around my cluttered office. I really needed to clean in here. I dug around in a drawer of my desk for a minute and felt a pen, then a sharp pain in finger. I pulled my hand out of the drawer and swore as I saw that it was bleeding. Must've nudged a pair of scissors or something. I carefully reached in again with my other hand and grabbed the pen, hoping that it would work, before walking back out to the kitchen with my findings.

"sorry that took so long…my office is a wreck." I said as I handed the notepad and pen to her before starting my search for a band-aid. I froze as a pair of small, warm hands took mine and wrapped a piece of a paper towel around the long cut on my finger. Bella stood on her tiptoes to reach the little box of band-aids that was at my eye level. I just watched and went along with it as she brought me over to think sink and washed the cut, dried it, and carefully covered it with band-aids. It was a caring gesture, and a little motherly. I could've managed on my own, but I couldn't find it in me to stop her. When she was finished I found my voice.

"We should go check on Alice and Jasper." I said, looking down into her chocolate eyes. She nodded and I followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I would've followed her anywhere.

* * *

We got half the room painted that day. It was a nice brown, a little bit darker than tan, but not too much darker. Bella had picked it out. Emmett and Rosalie had been invited over in the evening and we ordered pizza and watched a movie called "The Princess Bride." Bella ended up falling asleep on the couch with her head in my lap near the end of the movie. I was sure that if she'd been awake she wouldn't be that close to me, but I would take what I could get. I stroked her hair very gently, being careful not to wake her up. I didn't really want to explain this to her. I saw Emmett glance at me, probably checking to make sure I was keeping myself controlled. He seemed like he would make a good friend, once we got past all the "You hurt her, you die a painful death" stuff. I sighed. I wanted to be able to do this when she was conscious, but once again, I would take what I could get. I was about to run my fingers through her silky hair again when the lights flicked on, surprising and blinding me. Jasper swore and Alice groaned and hid her face in his shoulder.

"Too bright!" She said, her voice muffled. Rose stood up and smacked Emmett. Hard, from the sound it made.

"Ow, Rosie!" He yelped, rubbing his shoulder. Bella mumbled something and rolled over, hiding her eyes in my thigh.

"Would you all shut up? You're going to wake Bella." I hissed at everyone. Four heads turned to stare at me. Alice grinned and clapped her hands, giving Jasper a look that clearly said, "I told you so." Jasper rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. Emmett gave me another glare while Rose raised her eyebrows at me. It was quiet for a minute before Jasper spoke.

"I think me and Alice are going to go ahead and go home. We'll see y'all around sometime." He said, standing up and helping Alice to her feet.

"Hey, could you guys drop Rose off, please? I want to talk to Edward." He said, giving Rosalie an apologetic look. Jasper nodded and held out his arm to Rosalie. She kissed Emmett, teasing him, before she took it and walked out with Jasper and Alice. Emmett sat back down.

"Well, let's see. If I hurt Bella, even unintentionally, I die. I do anything that she doesn't want to do, I die. If I ever make her cry, I die. Did I cover it?" I asked him. I remembered my long winded speech to Jasper when he first started dating Alice. Emmett actually laughed, softly though, so that Bella wouldn't wake up.

"Most of it. But it goes farther than that…I'm warning you, it's a lot easier to hurt her than it is for most other girls. If you touch her wrong, if you smell a certain way…" he shook his head, looking at Bella with sadness in his eyes. I was getting a bad feeling about it.

"I won't…touch her anywhere that she doesn't want me to. I'm not like that." I insisted, looking down at her as well. He shook his head.

"It doesn't have to be the way you're thinking, Edward. Just…be careful with her." He said, looking up and sending me another glare. I nodded quickly.

"What happened to her, to make her like this?" I asked, not able to keep the anger out of my voice. Emmett shook his head.

"It's not my story to tell." He stood up. "Can she stay here tonight? I don't want to wake her up to take her home…" he trailed off as I nodded.

"Yeah, she can stay here. No problem." I said, looking down at her again. She sighed in her sleep and mumbled something that I couldn't understand. Emmett nodded and bent down to kiss the top of Bella's head, then turned and left. I stood up carefully and scooped Bella up in my arms, cradling her against my chest as I carried her up the stairs and into my room. It had the best bed. I set her down on it, being very careful not to wake her, and pulled the blankets over her. I straightened up and looked down at her for several long minutes before I walked quietly out of the room, leaving the door open, and lay down on one of the guest beds with my hands behind my head. I wasn't sure if I could sleep with Bella here.

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I wasn't sure what woke me up. It was still dark and the clock told me that it was 3:27 AM. I listened for a minute, then I heard it. A soft whimper from my room. Bella. I got up and went to see what was wrong. I stooped over her.

"Bella?" No answer. She must still be asleep. In the dark I could tell that her expression was one of pain. It felt like someone had stabbed me in the stomach. She must be having a nightmare.

"No. I love you, please don't…" I froze. She was talking…even if she was asleep. How strange. Her voice was beautiful…one of that an angel would posses.

"Don't, it hurts.." she whispered, her voice thick with tears. She was pleading with someone. I think I felt a piece of my heart chip off.

"Bella…wake up. It's just a dream." I told her, reaching out and touching her cheek, wiping away a tear.

**Bella's POV**

I jerked awake from my nightmare, one I hadn't had in over two years. Edward….Edward was there and I was glad. He was standing over me, trying to wipe away the tears that just kept coming.

"Just a dream. It was only a dream, Bella." He soothed. It seemed like he debated with himself for a minute before he walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled in, pulling me into his arms. I knew I should be pushing him away, screaming, _something, _but I didn't. It just felt…right. Safe. Good. I buried my face in his chest and cried.

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**Well, that was the longest chapter I've ever written. I really, really liked it and I revealed a lot to you guys. You know how you can thank me and motivate me to write the next chapter?**

**Yup, you got it. REVIEW!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**AHHHHHH!!!!!**_

**_Oh my gosh. I'm so, so, so sorry!!! I feel terrible about how long this took!!! *cries* anyways, it's here now. So sorry!!! _**

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Last chapter-

_"Just a dream. It was only a dream, Bella." He soothed. It seemed like he debated with himself for a minute before he walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled in, pulling me into his arms. I knew I should be pushing him away, screaming, something, but I didn't. It just felt…right. Safe. Good. I buried my face in his chest and cried._

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**Edward's** **POV**

When I woke up again the red letters of the clock told me that it was 6:12. The sun was just starting to come in the window and the early morning traffic could be heard on the streets below. I looked down at the sleeping angel in my arms. Bella's long mahogany hair was a tangled mess and she had tear stains on her face, but she was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I sighed and carefully brushed the hair away from her face, lightly so as not to wake her, before sliding out of the bed. Something told me that it wouldn't be good to have her wake up with me in the same bed as her, not wearing a shirt, even if I was still wearing the jeans from yesterday. I tip-toed to the dresser and got out a change of clothes and took them to the guest room I had stayed part of the night in the night before to change. I wondered what the nightmare was about last night…it broke my heart to see Bella that way. I thought a little bit about what Emmett had said to me last night, how easy it was to hurt her. I shook my head and walked out of the room after I finished dressing. I peeked into my room to check on Bella. It looked like she was still fast asleep, so I wandered downstairs and into my very cluttered office. I looked around at all the papers lying around, they were mainly music sheets that I had started to write on but then had gotten frustrated with and crumpled up. I'd been attempting in vain to compose for the past couple of weeks, but nothing came to me. The papers surrounded the baby grand piano in the middle of the large room and littered the top of it as well. I sighed and walked over to it, grabbing my trash can from the top of the desk on my way. I swept the crumpled balls of paper into it off the top of the piano before starting on the ones on the floor. When I had filled the white trashcan to the point of over flowing there were still more, but I had gotten enough of it cleaned up for now. I sat down on the bench and traced the ivory keys with my eyes closed. I said their notes to myself as I touched each one, then opened my eyes and started softly playing scales to warm up my fingers. After a few rounds of that I started to play old, familiar songs with my eyes closed.

**Bella's** **POV**

I awoke to the sounds of soft piano playing coming through the open door of the bedroom…wait. Bedroom? Where was I? I sat up and looked around slowly. Dark blue walls…black furniture…wonderfully comfortable bed…I swung my legs over the side of the bed and slid down to the floor. I was still in the clothes I was wearing yesterday, same faded blue jeans and dark green hoodie. I stopped in front of the mirror on the dresser. My hair looked like a haystack, but there wasn't much I could do about it. My shoes weren't on though…someone must've cared enough to take them off. But who? This wasn't Alice and Jasper's bedroom or Rose and Emmett's either. Edward's? It made sense, I thought as I walked out into a familiar hallway. I was at Edward's…there was the room that we had started to paint yesterday. I walked carefully down the stairs, hoping that I wouldn't trip. I followed the soft sounds of the piano to a room at the back of the apartment. I opened a door to a room I hadn't seen before and peeked in.

What an amazing sight.

There was Edward, sitting at the piano with his eyes closed. The sleeves of his green button up shirt were pushed up to his elbows and his bronze hair was a rumpled mess, even more so than mine. He had on loose, dark wash jeans. He was so into his playing that he didn't hear me come in. I wasn't sure what he was playing, but it was beautiful…soft and sweet, but it seemed like it was…bittersweet. I felt like I wanted to cry as I listened, wondering what kind of story had inspired the piece. I hadn't realized that I had closed my eyes until Edward spoke.

"Good morning, Bella." His tone was one of pure velvet. I slowly opened my eyes, wishing to hear the song again.

_"What was the song called?" _I signed, still very slowly. I was glad that Edward was learning fast, it was so hard to remember to sign slowly to him. He stood up and stretched. I heard his back crack.

"Esme." He answered. I was surprised, that was Alice's mother's name, his Aunt.

"Are you hungry? I can make some breakfast…" he offered, holding the door open for me. I passed through and walked down the hall and into the kitchen with Edward right behind me.

_"You wrote it?" _I asked, sitting down at the bar while he opened the fridge.

"Yes." He nodded. "I wrote it. It was inspired by my Aunt's story." He said, his eyes looking far away.

_"Will you tell it to me?" _I asked with my hands. I was curious. Edward nodded and leaned against the counter.

"Well, when Esme was twenty years old she found out she was pregnant." He started in a quiet voice. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the counter as I listened.

"Her boyfriend didn't want to be a father. He broke up with Esme and walked out of her life. She was devastated, but she didn't show it." He sounded angry now and he was gripping the edge of the counter tightly. "I'll never forget the night she broke down and cried to me. She's only five years older than I am, did you know that?" I shook my head, but he didn't seem to notice. "She's always been more like a sister than my aunt. She lived in my room after she found out, my grandparents weren't too happy with her." He sighed and looked at me. "Her baby was born four months early." I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, tears welling up in my eyes…remembering my own fears. He reached out and took one of my hands, holding it tightly in his own larger one.

"I know. It was terrible, for all of us, but mainly for Esme. When she was finally let out of the hospital she wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't even talk…" Edward had been looking down at our hands, but I saw his eyes flicker up to my face for a spilt second. "One day when I came home from school she had locked herself in the bathroom. Me and my dad had to breakdown the door. She had slit her wrists, she was almost dead from loss of blood." His eyes were closed now, his voice barely more than a whisper and his hand gripping mine tightly. I briefly remembered other hands gripping mine, but right now the memories didn't matter. I was completely focused on Edward.

"We took Esme to the hospital." He smiled a little. "Carlisle was her doctor. They hit it off and after a few months of talking, he asked her out on a date and well, things went from there. A couple of years after they got married, then they adopted Alice, who was fifteen at the time." He smiled. "I actually wrote the song for their wedding." He finished. He was still smiling, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I squeezed his hand gently, marveling at how I didn't feel afraid at the touch, how the memories didn't surface. Edward squeezed back, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand.

After a few minutes of this we both looked up at each other and blushed, me more than Edward, and he quickly let go of my hand.

"Um." He coughed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What do you want for breakfast? I have eggs…I have cereal…" he said, quickly making himself busy with getting things out of the wooden cabinets. It looked like he was going to have cereal. I pointed the box of apple jacks he had on the counter. He nodded and poured me some in a white bowl, added milk, and handed the bowl to me with a spoon. I looked around for a minute before spotting a scrap of paper and a pen lying on the counter. I picked them up and wrote

_"Thank you. Now, why I am I here?" _I asked before taking a bite. Edward sat down at the table, facing me. He took a couple of large bites before he answered me.

"You fell asleep during the movie last night and Emmett didn't want to have to wake you up to go home and asked if you could stay here. I said it was okay, and well, that's it." He shrugged and ate another bite of cereal. I nodded, looking down at my bowl. We ate in silence for a few minutes, but it was comfortable silence.

"Now, can I ask a question?" Edward asked, looking up at me. His green eyes were curious, the gold specks seeming to glint in the light. I nodded, not pointing out that he had already asked one.

"What were you dreaming about last night?" He asked. I froze. Anything but that. Up until that moment, I'd forgotten having the nightmare. It came flooding back to me now and I tried to push it away.

**Edward's** **POV**

I shouldn't have asked. Bella stiffened almost before the words had left my mouth. She picked up the pen and started writing something, and after a minute she handed the little piece of paper to me. The writing was shaky, but legible.

_"I don't want to talk about it. Please, Edward, don't ask again." _I nodded quickly. If she didn't want me to, that was fine, as long as the hurt in her eyes went away and the light came back.

"I promise, I won't." I said sincerely, putting the piece of paper back on the counter, in case she needed it again.

_"Thank you." _Bella told me with her left hand, then she looked down at her bowl. I did as well, not knowing what to say anymore.

**Bella's POV**

Awkward silences are the worst. I think that everyone agrees about that. I didn't know what to say after that, or even if I _should _say anything. Of course, just when I didn't need it, a blush crept up my cheeks.

And that did it.

Edward smiled and laughed softly, his musical laugh, and I smiled while hiding my face in my shoulder. To have something to do, I stood up and rinsed my bowl out in the sink, then held out my hand for Edward's empty one. He got up, set his bowl on the granite countertop, and put his hands at my waist before he lifted me up and away from the sink. I gasped and squirmed, but he just laughed.

_"Brandon, NO! Let me go." I yelled, trying to get away from him._

_My only answer was a cold laugh._

I gasped again, louder this time, and covered my ears with a whimper. Edward,_ not Brandon..._set me down on my feet and let go of me.

"I'm sorry, Bella! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He seemed so worried, I had to admit, it was kind of cute. I nodded a little shakily.

"You're okay?" he clarified. I smiled at that and nodded again. Then, I held up my pointer finger, telling him to wait a minute, turned around, rearranged my face into a glare, then turned back to him.

_"Why did you do that?!" _I asked with my hands. He shrugged, and took my place, rinsing his own bowl.

"You didn't need to do that. You're my guest." He said simply.

_Could he be anymore perfect? _I wondered as I leaned against the counter, looking at his refrigerator door. It was covered in pictures. There was one of him with Alice, on a beach. She was on his shoulders, and they were both laughing. Next to it there was one of Jasper and Alice, I recognized, as I had taken it. They hadn't known about it until later, but it was one of my favorites of them. It was in Central Park, and they were sitting on a bench under a tree, Jasper's arms around Alice and their foreheads touching. They were both smiling, oblivious to everyone else in the world.

Alice and Jasper. I hadn't known them for very long, only about a year, but I loved them as much as Rose and Emmett. Rose was the one who introduced me to Alice, after meeting her while shopping.

I spotted one of Carlisle and Esme's wedding pictures, and one of an older couple who had to be Edward's parents.

"Now all I need is one of you." Edward's voice broke the silence. I jumped a little, and turned to him. I shook my head. I wasn't the hugest fan of pictures.

"Oh, come on, Bells! Please?" he even threw in the puppy dog pout. My eyes widened in horror and I grabbed the pen and scrap of paper.

_"Oh no! Alice taught you the pout to you too?!" _I handed it to Edward. He read it quickly, then threw back his head and laughed.

"Yes, she did. Now, please, Bella? Just one picture?" he pleaded. I sighed, knowing that with the pout to go with his already dazzling looks, I'd never win. I nodded my head in defeat and Edward grinned like Emmett would if you gave him a whole box of free pizza. Edward reached up and felt around on the top of the fridge for a moment before he brought it back, holding a digital camera. I groaned and covered my face with my hands.

"Come on, Bella, you already said yes." He said, his voice persuasive. I sighed softly and dropped my hands. He was holding up the camera and waiting for me to smile. I didn't, just pouted in my best impression of Alice, which I will admit isn't very good. Edward laughed and snapped the picture.

"Adorable." He commented in an amused tone, but his vibrant eyes were serious as he stared down it the camera. I tried to get a peek, but he quickly shut the camera off and pocketed it.

"Nope. I'm afraid you would make me delete it."

I scowled.

_"That bad?" _

"No. I find it very cute, but I'm afraid that you wouldn't, so, I'm not letting you see it until I have a dozen copies printed out and hidden in various places so that you can't find and destroy them." He said, looking pleased with his plan. I glared at him, trying to look as scary as possible.

Seeing as he laughed, I don't think it worked very well.

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**_Well, there you go. I will admit, this was pretty much just a filler chapter, getting some background on people and relationships, yadayadayada...._**

**_but review, please? I'll try to go faster this time..._**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay!!! It didn't take me nearly as long to write this one as it did the last one. Are y'all proud of me?**

**Now, to mention my wonderful reviewers.**

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**Thanks so much for the reviews you guys!!! Keep them coming!!! Now read the chappy =)  
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Bella's POV

Edward walked me home a few hours later. He always seemed a bit on edge when he walked with me around my apartment. Probably because it reminded him about the society difference, I thought sadly. At my door, he hesitantly leaned in and kissed my cheek before turning and walking back down the steep stairs. My heart missed a beat, and I blushed at the touch. I watched him go, his bronze hair disappearing around the corner. I sighed quietly, and wrapped my arms around myself before I unlocked my door and walked in. I flicked on the light and sat down on my bed. I had a couple hours before I had to get to work, but I didn't really feel like doing anything. I opened a drawer in my dresser and got out a pair of jeans, but I didn't feel like putting them on. Edward had given me a pair of black track pants to put on and they were amazingly comfortable, even though they were way too big. I had the string pulled as tight as it would go, and the legs rolled up several times. He also gave me one of his tee shirts, and it smelled just like him. I reluctantly changed into one of my own shirts, long-sleeved and pulled on my boots and one of Emmett's old hoodies. It was dark green and huge on me, even bigger than Edward's shirt had been on me. The old hoodie had been through a lot with me, and had been pretty valuable to me during that last year I went to highschool. I left my apartment and taped a note to Emmett and Rose's door.

_"I'm going to the library, then work. I got home safe and sound this morning. -Bella"_

I walked down the steep stairs, actually, I tripped and managed to roll down the last five, but anyways…no broken bones, just a few bruises. When I got outside I smiled, looking up at the sky. It looked like it would snow again soon. It would be Christmas before too long. This year, we were going back to Forks, my entire family was going to be squashed into my Dad's house, as well as Jacob and Billy Black, old friends of me and my Dad's.

I was excited about it.

After spending an hour at the library, surrounded by books, I walked the familiar route to the bookstore. I wanted to get there early today, to talk to Heidi. The bells tinkled as I entered and she looked up, a smile brightening the room as she saw me.

"Isabella Swan, I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about me." She said, climbing down from the step stool she had been on a moment earlier. She enveloped me in a tight but gentle hug.

_"I'm sorry, I've been busy lately. I could never forget you." _I told her. It was true. Heidi was like my New York mother, she knew as much about as my real mom did, possibly more.

"Have you found another job yet?" she asked me, looking concerned. I shook my head. Of course not. No work in New York City for a girl that doesn't talk. To my surprise, Heidi smiled widely.

"Good. I have a friend who wants someone to tutor her daughter in Sign Language!" she said with a happy squeal. Sometimes she really reminded me of Alice. My mouth dropped and I launched myself forwards, onto Heidi, hugging her tightly.

_"Are you serious? Oh, Heidi…" _I asked after letting her go. She smoothed her black hair down, pretending to be annoyed with me for jumping on her, but her eyes were smiling.

"Yes, Hon, I'm serious. I told her about you and what you've done with little Adele, and she wants to meet you. Here is her address, go see her tomorrow morning, she said anytime was okay." She said, handing me a sheet of paper. I smiled and tucked it into the pocket of Edward's pants. Adele…I missed her.

_"Thank you so much…" _

"Don't mention it, Bella. Now, tell me, how _is _Adele?" she asked, her voice curious as she sat down on the stool behind the counter. I plopped down on the bean bag chair that Edward had dragged over.

_"Mom says she's doing alright. Still growing fast. I can't wait to see her over Christmas, but I can't think of what to get her." _I wrote on my marker board. Heidi smiled.

"You need to send me a picture of her. Hm, what to get her…" the bells tinkled again and we both looked towards the door. It was a woman with a huge purse, to my disappointment. I knew that Edward had students until six, but I still hoped. I looked back down and began to doodle on the marker board while Heidi helped the woman with the purse that you could fit a good sized dog into.

_You're getting too attached. You need to stop this while you still can._ That rational, smart side of my brain told me in a stern voice. I had to smile a little at what it hadn't realized yet.

_I'm already in too deep to stop. _

**Edward's POV**

I sighed as the little girl I was trying to teach scales to messed up again.

"No, Lizzie. Like this." I said in as gentle and patient a tone as I could, playing the simple F scale once again for her, very slowly. The day was dragging on slower than usual, and I couldn't wait to get out of my apartment. It was five thirty, only another half hour until I could leave. I zoned out while Lizzie attempted to play the scale again. I wondered again what had happened, to hurt Bella so badly that a simple touch, one wrong word would make her withdraw, that would make that hurt stay in her eyes for so long. My doorbell ringing startled me out of my thoughts.

"Be right back." I told Lizzie, going to answer the door. I walked down the hall and unlocked my door, letting it swing open.

Oh thank God. Lizzie's nanny, here early. I smiled, and instantly felt like hugging the poor, unsuspecting woman.

"Lizzie! Gail's here." I yelled over my shoulder. A minute later, Lizzie came running, her backpack over her shoulder.

"Thanks, Mr. Masen. We'll see you next week." The old woman said, sounding like she didn't really mean it before herding Lizzie out the door and towards the elevator. I shut the door behind them and ran up to my room, rummaging through my closet for my jacket. I pulled it on and ran out the door, only stopping to lock it.

I've got it bad.

**Bella's POV**

I had my Ipod on, drowning out the sounds of the cars on the street outside. I was curled up on Edward's bean bag chair, still just doodling on the marker board. It had been a slow day, only three people had come in all afternoon. I was just killing time until Edward got here.

_"If someone said three years from now_

_you'd be long gone_

_I'd stand up and punch them out_

_Cause their all wrong_

_I know better_

_Cause you said forever_

_And ever_

_Who knew?"_

Why was I listening to this? It made me think of Brandon, stupid Brandon. Three years…Three long years of trying to put my life back together. A tear rolled down my cheek, then another, and another, and before I knew it, I was all out crying. I ripped the ear buds out of my ears and put the ipod on the counter.

A song. A song had reduced me to tears.

The next thing I knew, warm, strong arms were around me. I gasped and squirmed, trying to get loose, but they held me still.

"Hey, hey. It's just me." A soft, gentle, familiar voice said. I relaxed instantly and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. Edward rubbed my cheeks with his thumb, wiping away the tear tracks.

"Are you okay? What happened? What's the matter?" He sounded so worried. It felt good to have some one worry about you. I just nodded, pushing my hair out of my face and standing up. I picked up my ipod off the counter and shut it off, stuffing it back in the pocket of Edward's pants. He stood up too, still looking worried.

"You know you can talk to me about whatever's been bothering you so much…right?" he asked in a kind of shy voice, sounding so much younger than he actually was. I felt like I was older than he was, and in maturity and experience with life, I probably was. I just nodded again.

_No, I can't. _I thought, sitting on my stool and pointing at the purple marker and board next to his chair. He picked them up and looked at my doodles before he handed them to me.

"Nice..." he commented. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was only five forty-five.

_"You're early?" _I wrote on the board in purple ink. He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. The last student left early. I could've hugged her nanny when she came." He said, grinning. I was confused.

"_Why?" _

"Because I couldn't wait to be done and see you again. I missed you." He said, watching me carefully as if he was waiting to see my reaction. I couldn't help it, I smiled, blushing just a tiny bit, and looked down at my board, my voice, and drew a heart on it.

What was I, a highschool freshman with a crush?

I quickly erased the heart, before Edward could see it. When I peeked up at his face again, he was smiling in a satisfied manner, and still watching me closely, his eyes twinkling.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, his voice sounding teasing, but I could tell that there was a hint of seriousness behind it. As he probably expected me to, I blushed a deeper red and looked down at the board once more.

"Well?" He asked, sounding more serious now. I nodded my head quickly before standing up and grabbing a stack of books on the counter and walking to the shelf they belonged in.

"I said it first, you know. So if anyone should be embarrassed, it should be me." That velvet voice said, following me. I bet he could get anything he wanted with it, and his looks probably helped quite a bit. I finished putting all of the books back in their proper places and turned around.

And me being me, managed to trip over the hem of my…Edward's pants and fall. Straight onto him.

And we both tumbled down to the floor.

**Edward's POV**

Before I really knew what was happening, I was on the floor, with Bella on top of me.

Her face was right in front of mine, so close…

I didn't think.

I didn't think about the warnings that Emmett had given me the night before. I just didn't think. I acted.

I kissed her.

She was still for a minute, then pulled away from me, and rolled off. I sighed.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, __**stupid! **_I yelled at myself, in my mind. Bella stood up, and I sat up. She looked surprised, and her fingers were on her lips.

"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered. Wonderful, I sounded like I was back in highschool. And I just stuttered. Bella's hands stayed still, silent, and her eyes were far away.

_What is she thinking? _I thought, frustrated. I _needed_ to know. I stood up, dusting myself off, resigned to the fact that I'd been an idiot, and that she didn't like me back. She still stood there, in obvious shock, her eyes distant.

I was starting worry…was she okay?

"I…I'll just go now. Okay?" I said, turning around and walking towards the door. She probably wanted me gone. I had my hand on the door to open it when running footsteps came from behind me. I turned around, and Bella jumped on me.

Literally jumped on me.

She didn't kiss me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. I wrapped my arms around her waist so that she wouldn't fall.

**Bella's POV**

I didn't want him to go. I wasn't angry at him for kissing me…I wasn't expecting it, but I had wanted him to.

The only bad thing about it was, my mind reminded of Brandon because of it, in a strange, sick and twisted way.

But it wasn't Brandon. It was Edward. And they were completely and totally different. I wasn't even sure why I was reminded of Brandon.

I just wanted Edward, no memories of my past attached.

**Edward's POV**

"I'm sorry." I repeated, burying my face in her hair. I loved her hair. It smelled so good, and it was so beautiful. Bella shook her head, and I set her down on her feet reluctantly. She let go of me, and walked behind the counter and came back writing something on the marker board, and after a minute, she held it out to me.

_"Don't be…unless you regret it." _She said. I could practically hear her voice saying the words.

Wait. She thought I could regret that?

"I don't. I never will." I told her, reaching out and brushing her hair out of her face. She smiled, a tiny smile, but a smile nonetheless. She rubbed off the words that she had written on the board and wrote again.

_"I wouldn't be so sure. Never say never." _Her eyes grew somewhat sad as she let me read the words she had written in her messy handwriting. I felt like sighing. How was I supposed to make her feel better, if she wouldn't tell me why she felt that way?

"Never." I repeated, locking my eyes with her chocolate brown ones.

They smiled, even though her mouth didn't.

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**OoOoOoOo**

**Who's Adele? **

**We shall see...we shall see... **

**review. i want to hear what y'all think of it so far. and who do you think Adele is?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Whoop!! super fast update =)**

**Thanks SO much for all the reviews!!! thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!!!**

**Some of y'all guessed about who Adele is...and I'm not gong to say if anyone was right, or wrong. Don't ya hate me? **

**Oh well. You'll all find out soon enough...now, read the chapter =)**

**Okay. I don't do this anywhere near enough so....yeah, I don't own the rights to Twilight OR the song. so...yeah. Please don't sue me. I'm trying to save up money for: a new phone. A car. Summer mission trips. College. An Apartment. I have less than two hundred dollars to my name. **

**Okay. read the chappy...**

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Bella's POV

"Come over for a while before I take you home, so we can talk for a while?" Edward asked hopefully as I locked the door to the shop. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I smiled. We'd been talking all day, well, for most of the day, but I knew I still didn't want to leave him, and he apparently felt the same way.

_"Ok." _I signed to him after putting the keys into the pocket of his track pants. He knew that at least, it was simple, just two letters, but most of the time I still needed to write what I wanted to say. He would catch on eventually, with how much I used it with Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose. I fished my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Emmett-

_"Hey, I'm going over to Edward's for a little while. Don't freak out and send the National Guard to look for me, okay?" _I slipped the phone into the pocket of my hoodie as Edward and I walked in the opposite direction that we usually that we would've gone to get to my place. After a minute of walking through other groups of people on the street, Edward spoke, in a shy voice.

"Um…can I hold your hand?" It was so cute, he was actually asking permission…and I was glad that he did. It gave me a good feeling about him. I smiled, and without answering him, I reached out and twined my fingers through his. His hand was so much bigger than mine, and his fingers were long, and strong, truly a piano player's hands. His face lit up like a little kid's on Christmas morning. I had to smile again.

_"Seems like just yesterday_

_you were a part of me_

_I used to stand so tall,_

_I used to be so strong_

_Your arms around me tight…_

_Everything, it felt so right_

_Unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong_

_Now I can't breath_

_No, I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hanging on…"_

My most recent ring-tone, Behind These Hazel Eyes, by Kelly Clarkson. I took my phone out of my pocket with my left hand, expecting it to be Emmett's reply. It _was _Emmett, but he was calling me? I held it out to Edward.

_"Here I am, _

_once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one."_

Edward looked confused for a minute, but then looked at the screen and saw that it was a call, and understood.

"Oh." He took it out of my hand and answered it.

"Emmett, Bella doesn't talk, remember?"

**Edward's POV**

Emmett knew that Bella doesn't talk. Why would he call her?

"Yeah, but you do."

"Okay…?" Confused…

"I don't have your number, so I had to call Bella's phone to talk to you, got it genius?" Emmett, said, talking slowly.

Oh, so I was getting another "hurt her and die a long, painful death" talk. Great.

"Yeah." Bella was looking at me with a puzzled look on her face. I squeezed her hand gently.

"So, she's going over to your apartment, right?"

"Yep."

"Try anything that she doesn't want to do and I will kill you." He said, sounding very serious. I shook my head exasperatedly. When was he going to get it?

"Not a problem, I swear I won't, and if she tells you I did, I give you permission to kill me in the most painful way you can think of." Bella seemed to realize what was going on and sighed.

"I'll hold you to that." He said, then hung up. I did as well, and gave Bella her phone back.

_"Sorry…" _she signed, another of the simple ones that I could remember.

**Bella's POV**

I couldn't believe Emmett. Well…actually, I could. But I would still be mad at him when I got home.

"It's okay. He's just worried about you." Edward said, sounding very un-annoyed. "I did the same thing to Jazz when he and Alice started dating, actually, I went farther than Emmett did, I actually followed them on their first date." He admitted, chuckling softly. I smiled. It seemed like something he would do.

I felt something wet on the tip of my nose, and looked up, then groaned. It was snowing. I hated snow, and the cold, even though I was living in New York.

"You don't like snow?" Edward asked, his bronze, messy hair already flecked with white specks. I shook my head so hard that I stumbled, and he laughed and pulled me closer to him.

Being with Edward…it was easy. I didn't have to think, didn't worry if I looked stupid, or did something clumsy. It was great.

"You're cold." He said, pulling our hands into his coat pocket. He was right, I was cold. I hadn't really thought about the weather when I'd left my apartment.

_"Hey, Bella." Brandon said, smiling and walking towards me. I smiled back, as he stooped and kissed me. And kept on kissing me, sliding his hands into the back pockets of my jeans. Someone walking by wolf-whistled, then another cleared their throat, loudly. I pulled away from him, and looked at Rose._

_"Emmett's coming." She said simply, giving me a disapproving look before walking off._

It was so stupid that the gesture reminded me of Brandon. I sighed softly, and carefully removed my hand from his. It wasn't fair to make his hand cold. He glanced at me, his shoulders slumping a little.

"Hey…what did I do? You've gotta tell me, if we can make this work." He said, sounding normal for the most part, but I could hear a hint of hurt in his voice as he said it. His eyes were definitely hurt. I felt a stab of guilt in the pit of my stomach. I shouldn't make him suffer because I couldn't bury my past. I thought about telling him, but in the end, I just shook my head.

"You don't want to talk about it?" he asked in a gentle, velvet tone. I shook my head again, looking down at my feet as we walked. It was quiet for a minute…well, not really. The cars on the street next to us honked their horns and crawled past us, people chattered all around, but we didn't say anything.

"Okay." He said with a sigh, then wrapped his arm around my waist. "Is this okay?" he asked, watching me closely. I waited a minute, then nodded. It didn't seem like any bad memories were coming up to the front of my mind. He smiled, but not as brightly as he had before.

I had to figure out how to get over my past, so I could be with Edward and not hurt him. I had to.

* * *

I was curled up next to Edward on his very comfortable couch, and we were watching a movie. It was getting late, and I'd already gotten one text from Emmett about how long I'd been over here about an hour ago. I knew another one was due soon.

Edward had brought me an empty notebook and pencil, which were sitting on the coffee table in front of us. I was sitting with my feet in his lap, and he was playing with my toes, trying very hard not to tickle me. The credits rolled, and Edward got up and turned the lights back on. He sat down again, chewed on his lip for a minute and then asked,

"Can I try something?" Cue confusion. I nodded, though, successfully hiding both my confusion and nervousness. He moved closer to me, my legs in his lap, and kissed my cheek. I smiled automatically.

"Is that okay?" he asked, looking into my eyes. I nodded, and he leaned in again, and kissed my nose. I kept smiling, and nodded again, knowing what he was doing. I felt him smile as he kissed my other cheek, then, hesitating for a couple seconds, kissed my lips softly. I waited. Nothing happened. I nodded, smiling against his lips. I felt his smile grow, and he kissed me with a little more force, for just a couple of seconds before he pulled away.

I was so happy, I could've danced. Attempted to dance. No memories of Brandon at all. I wondered why…maybe because Edward was so much more…careful, more gentle, more considerate, than Brandon was? It seemed plausible.

"That was okay?" he verified, still very close to me. I nodded, wondering if he could hear my heart, it was beating so loudly.

Then my phone rang. I groaned and grabbed it from the coffee table. Another text from Emmett.

_"Isabella Marie Swan, it's almost midnight and you aren't home yet." _It said. I scowled and hit the reply button.

_"Emmett Joshua Swan, GO TO BED! I'll be home soon. Jeez." _I hit send and put the phone back on the table again. Edward was smiling in a knowing way.

"Okay, I guess we'd better get you home before Emmett comes and kills me. But, I'm going to go and get a warmer jacket. It's still snowing." He said, carefully lifting up my legs and sliding out from under them, then set them back on the couch. He bent over me and kissed my nose, then walked out into the hall, and I could hear his footsteps going up the stairs. A minute later, my phone rang _again. _

_"You can't blame me for worrying about you. Think about what happened the last time you ignored me!" _I stared down at the message with my mouth hanging open. He could he just bring it up like that? After staring at it for another three seconds, I threw the stupid phone. To my horror, I heard:

"Whoa!" Oh God, please don't tell me I hit Edward. I covered my mouth with my hands.

"Any particular reason you threw your phone at me?" he asked in a confused tone. I stood up and ran over to him, giving him a big hug, then hurried back to the table and grabbed the notebook and pencil.

_"I am _so _sorry!! Oh my God…Did I hit you? And it's just that Emmett's making me mad." _I wrote quickly, then handed it to him. He laughed as his brilliant eyes scanned the page, then looked up at me.

"No, I ducked. Let's hurry up then, before he can make you madder. I might not be able to react so fast next time." He teased, smiling, and holding out one of his jackets to me, and my phone, which was amazingly still intact. I smiled a little sheepishly and told him,

_"Thanks." _With my hands, of course. I followed him out of the living room and down the hall, where he held the door open for me. I smiled and waited while he locked the door behind us, then he took my hand as we were walking to the elevator.

"Is this okay?" he asked, letting me push the down button. I nodded, reminding myself how different he and Brandon were.

For most of the walk back to my apartment, we were quiet. There weren't all that many people out, but there were still some, and there were still taxis on the road. I decided I needed to start carrying a pocket-sized notebook and pen with me, so I could talk with him on the walks.

"So, I was wondering…what are we? Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Edward asked abruptly. I chewed my lip for a minute as we walked. Of course I wanted to be his girlfriend. I think I could handle being someone's girlfriend again, as long as it was Edward. I nodded.

He smiled hugely, stopped in the street, and kissed me.

I laughed, pushing back a memory that tried to sneak up on me.

_I'm making new memories now. Better ones. _I thought as he let me go, and we continued walking. Too soon, we were out side of my apartment. Emmett's door cracked open, a tiny bit of light streaming out into the dark hallway. I turned and glared at Emmett. He growled, but shut the door again with a quiet click.

"See you tomorrow?" Edward whispered. The walls were thin here, and I wondered if Emmett had his ear pressed to the door, trying to hear us, well, Edward. I nodded, and slid out of the jacket that he'd lent me, and gave it back to me.

"You can keep it." He said, not taking it when I offered it to him. I smiled. Brandon had never let me keep any of his clothes. Ever. After a few hours of dating Edward, I already had pants, a shirt, and a jacket.

"Night, sweetheart." He whispered, stooping down and kissing me softly. I let him. No bad memories. When he pulled away, I turned and unlocked the door of my apartment, and stepped inside. I waved, and he smiled, I could barley tell in the dim light of the hallway, then he walked away. I could hear his quiet footsteps walking down the hall and down the stairs, slowly fading away.

I shut my door softly, locked it behind me, and turned the light on. My little one-room apartment looked exactly the same as it always had, but I felt different, and it made the place seem a little less dismal. I smiled again, ignoring the tap on my door that was Emmett, and took a shower, dressing in Edward's shirt and my own PJ pants when I was through. Emmett and Rose had forced me to turn the heat up in my apartment, but I still had it pretty cold, so I put on Edward's jacket as well. I looked at it for the first time all night, and smiled.

It was his letterman's jacket.

I just kept smiling as I sat on my couch, wearing Edward Masen's letterman's jacket, and brushing my hair to dry it out some before I went to bed. I had carefully laid the jacket on the top of my dresser and crawled under the covers when my phone rang, again. I jumped up and grabbed it off the bar.

It was a text from Edward.

_"Hey, just letting you know I got home. Goodnight, and sweet dreams, Beautiful." _I grinned, and climbed back into bed, but not falling asleep. No, I was too happy for that. A quote I'd seen the other day come into my head.

_"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep, because reality is finally better than your dreams." _

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Okay, be honest. Do I talk too much? Should I cut down on the ANs?

anyways...I updated super fast. That deserves lots of reviews....right?

Peace


	9. Chapter 9

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**Bella's POV**

Life was going good. I only had one small problem on the horizon, dealing with Christmas, and hey, Christmas was still over a month away! No need to worry about that yet.

I woke up one morning, flipped open my phone to check the time, and…

Holy Crap.

December tenth? What? Oh crap. I had a problem.

What to do for Christmas? Edward and I had been going out for about a month…would he be expecting to spend Christmas together? Heck, I _wanted _to spend Christmas together…but I wasn't sure if it would work out very well, for certain reasons…

Oh, damn. I still didn't know what to get Adele.

I rolled out of bed, pulled on a pair jeans, my fur lined boots, A navy blue sweater, and Edward's jacket, which I still had. I sat on my bed, thinking. It would be nice to have Edward with me to go shopping…maybe he could help me out. And, we'd both been busy with our jobs so much that we hadn't seen each other in a couple of days…I picked up my phone again.

_"Hey, are you busy? I need to go shopping…you want to come?" _I hit send, and got up and went into the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, then went and checked my phone again.

_"Good morning, sunshine =) No, I don't have anything to do today, for once. I'll be over in a few with breakfast, okay?" _Edward said. I smiled to myself. How much better could he get? He was bringing me breakfast!

_"Sounds good! Doughnuts? Pleeeeease?" _I replied, then waited a few seconds.

_"Haha, okay. Doughnuts it is." _I grinned. I was getting doughnuts, and Edward. My whole day just got considerably brighter.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Edward showed up, a bag of doughnuts in hand. I kissed him quickly, then grabbed the bag and skipped the few feet to the bar.

"Wow, I feel important…" he said in a sad voice, sitting down on the stool next to me. I rolled my eyes, then grabbed my notebook and pencil and wrote,

_"You are important. If I didn't have you, I'd have to go get my own doughnuts." _He read it as I took a huge bite out of the chocolate frosted doughnut he'd brought me. He shook his head.

"It's like you're having pregnancy cravings or something…jeez." He said it in an annoyed voice, but I knew he really didn't mind. However, what he actually said…I started choking. He thumped me on the back, then stood up and got me a glass of water.

"You okay there…Oh God. You don't think you're…" he looked stunned and hurt, holding out the water to me, frozen. I didn't blame him…We'd only been going out a month, and we hadn't done anything that could cause me to be pregnant so…

I frantically waved my hands, and wrote as fast as I could.

_"No, no, no, NO!!! Whoa, slow down. Breath. No chance of that. I just swallowed the wrong way." _Okay, so I hadn't swallowed wrong, but he didn't need to know what I was thinking right now. I let him read it, and he did take a few deep breaths, leaning heavily on the counter.

"Okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." He said, taking deep breaths.

Oh, if only he knew…

* * *

"Okay, so we're shopping for what?" he asked as we walked into a toy store. I actually had taken to walking around with a small note book and pencil in my pocket or bag. It was very useful.

_"A toy for a two year old…and maybe some clothes, too." _I handed the notebook to him so he could read it while I looked around. What would Adele like? I wasn't even sure anymore…I hadn't seen her in so long.

"A two year old?" he asked, curious. "Who's?" I cringed, glad that he was watching a toy train go by on it's track. What exactly was I supposed to tell him without flat-out lying to him. I didn't like lying. I ended up doing the smartest thing I could think of. I acted like I hadn't heard him.

After a few minutes of just looking around, bewildered by the amount of toys, it hit me. I took out my phone, and scrolled through the contacts.

_"Hey, Mom, what kind of toys does Adele like? And what size does she wear? I'm Christmas shopping." _Hit send…wait a few minutes…check the reply.

_"Hi, sweetie! Let's see...she likes stuffed animals quite a bit, does that help? She wears a size 2T. She's still small for her age, just like you were…good luck with the shopping!" _

Stuffed animals…stuffed animals…There were dozens on dozens of stuffed animals in this store alone!

I wrote down what my mom told me on the notebook, hoping Edward would have an idea.

"Build-a-Bear." He said, smiling.

Brilliant.

* * *

We had excellent timing, I must say. It was still mid-morning, and most kids were in school, so the store wasn't completely packed.

I picked out a cute, topaz colored bear skin to stuff for her.

Edward and I both did all the silly little things that you're supposed to do to the heart before the person at the machine puts it in the bear, much to the employee's amusement. We both laughed as we did it though. Nothing like making a fool of yourself in a public place, huh?

Then, I picked out clothes for her. I got a cute little green dress, an outfit with a pink, plaid skirt, and some Hello Kitty PJs. Edward seemed like he was having fun just watching me while leaning against the counter.

Finally, I named it. Taylor Noel Swan.

I'm going to admit it. It was fun. And I wanted a Build-a-Bear. I told Edward to keep that in mind for future Christmas presents. (hint, hint!) he laughed.

I felt a little bad about how much money I was taking out of my very limited budget in one day, but…it's Christmas, and I kind of had a lot to make up for…so what the heck. And, the parents of the little girl I was tutoring in Sign Language paid _really _well, so I would manage to scrape by. I was done before lunch, Edward carrying most of the bags.

"So, I ask again, who is all this for?" Edward asked as he attempted to hail a cab, and failed. I sighed, and stuck my hand out, wondering if it would work. To my surprise, it did. Edward opened the door for me, then slid in after me. I dug the notebook out of my pocket and started writing while he told the driver where to go. Luckily, I'd had time to think about it now.

_"Adele is the little girl that lives with my Mom and Step-Dad." _And I hoped that would be enough about her to satisfy his curiosity. Luckily for me, he just shrugged and let it go.

* * *

I should've known that my luck couldn't last all day. After shopping all morning, we hung out at Edward's for the rest of the day. It was nice, we just watched a couple of movies and munched on whatever we could find in Edward's pantry. At around four, I got up to go to the bathroom, leaving my phone on the coffee table. I was in the hall when it rang.

"It's from your mom!" Edward called. I peeked around the corner.

_"You can look at it. I'll be right back." _

That has to be one of the worst things I've ever said. When I came back, Edward was still staring at my phone, a stunned look on his beautiful face.

_Oh no…what did she say? _I thought, peering over his shoulder.

I gasped, and snatched the phone out of his frozen hands.

_No…_

_"Hey, Bells. I told Adele that you were shopping for her Christmas present! She's so excited to see Mommy. We love you and can't wait to see you! Oh, yeah, and here's a picture of her today. I curled her hair…isn't it adorable?"_

There was a picture of little Adele attached, of course. If Edward hadn't gotten it after reading the message…there's no way anyone could've missed it when they saw the picture. Adele was me in miniature, same mahogany hair, same nose, same eye shape, same pale skin…except for her eyes. She had her father's eyes, a beautiful see green. Nowhere near as breath-taking as Edward's, but still…beautiful. My baby girl.

Edward still hadn't moved. I rested my hand on his shoulder. Still nothing. I slid down next to him on the floor, and he finally looked over at me. His expression was unfathomable. I couldn't tell if it was one of shock, or anger, or hurt, or something else completely.

"She's yours?" he asked, sounding like he already knew. I nodded meekly, feeling so small, so young…I was so young. I was only nineteen. I had a two year old daughter. Edward just stared at me with those dazzling eyes of his. The silence was so loud…_so loud!_ He raised his hand and I flinched away, expecting a slap. But it never came. Instead, Edward gently laid his hand my cheek, then leaned in and kissed me, very, very gently.

Then, he stood up and walked away. A minute later, I heard the front door slam.

He was gone.

**Edward's POV**

My mind was reeling as I walked, bumped into someone, apologized, and kept walking. I didn't know where I was going, didn't even know what direction I was walking or what part of the city I was in. Bella, _my _Bella had a daughter. I couldn't get my thoughts in order, it was just so…unexpected. Eventually I made my way to Central Park, and I wandered over to a bench and sat down on it.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

So, I called Esme.

_"Hello?" _she asked, her voice as musical as it had always been.

"Hey, Esme…It's Edward." I said. Oh man, my voice was off too. Great.

"What's the matter? You sound like you were hit by a train. I'm at home, do you want to come over and talk in person?" She was so perceptive. But then, with the state I was in, it probably didn't take a genius to figure out something was up.

"Yeah. I'm already in Central Park, so I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll be here!" she said, sounding a little worried. I hung up my phone and shoved it back into my pocket, and started walking again.

Only a bout four seconds after I knocked, Esme answered the door.

"Edward! We don't see each other nearly enough you know. Come in, come in." She had been strangling me with a bear hug, but released me long enough to let me come in. I plopped down in the easy chair and she took the couch.

"So, you look terrible, you sound terrible, what's happened?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase. Even though Alice had been adopted, she and Esme were a lot alike. It was amazing. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Well…you know my girlfriend, Bella." Of course she knew Bella. Bella and Alice were best friends, and she was my girlfriend. "Well…I kind of got a shock today, you see…" I hesitated. I wasn't sure if Bella would like me telling Esme, but I _had _to talk to someone about it, had to get advice, and Esme was great at giving out advice.

"Yeah…go on." She urged, curling her legs underneath her. I sighed.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone." I said, looking her in the eyes. _Not even Alice. _She nodded her head quickly.

"Not a word. Not even to Alice."

Oh she knew me so well.

"Well…Um…Ugh!! I just found out that Bella has a daughter!" I finally spat out, and much to my disgust, my voice cracked. I heard Esme gasp, then she got up and wrapped her arms around me.

"Come here…" she said, pulling me up and leading me to the couch. She pulled me down next to her, her arms around me.

Esme, my second mother.

"Oh, Edward…I'm sorry. I guess this is a nasty shock for you, huh?" She asked soothingly. I felt like I was seven years old again, telling my mom about the bullies who decided to pick on me in elementary school. I just nodded. Thank God, I wasn't actually crying, like I had then.

"What do I do?" I asked her. Esme sighed softly.

"Do you love her?"

"Yes." I answered immediately. Of course I did, I'd known that since I'd met her.

"Do you like kids?" she asked. She knew the answer, I _loved _kids. I nodded. She rolled her eyes at me.

"So, what's the problem?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

To tell the truth, I didn't know. Which meant that there wasn't any reason for there to be a problem.

"Thanks, Esme. Love you, bye!" I said, giving her a quick hug before running out the door.

**Bella's POV**

I was walking, very, very slowly towards my apartment. I could really call it home, because "home" to me, was where Edward was.

But, that was over now.

Note to self: _Never, ever, ever _tell _anyone _that they can read your texts. I sighed and kicked at a chunk of ice. I was still wearing Edward's jacket, but I felt as cold as if I hadn't been.

Well, it looked like the one thing I was great at doing was screwing up my life. Let's recap.

First, I had started dating Brandon, against the warnings of Emmett, my dad, and Rose.

Second, I haven't seen my own daughter in around since her birthday, in July. What a wonderful mother I am.

Third, I dumped _my _kid on my Mom and Step-Dad. Although, I guess I could justify that one…I could barely support myself, much less Adele.

Fourth, I'd just lost the greatest guy that ever lived, after, for some odd, un-known reason, he'd wanted to go out with me.

Yep. I was great at screwing up my life.

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**Now we know who Adele is!! I wasn't planning on bringing her in until later, but...the she told me it was time for her!! so..yeah. **

**XoKellyAnneexo, you guessed it right!! Good job!!!**

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**Oh, and Rosie...she already knew =)**

**Reviews are completely and tottally amazing!!! Please review!!!**

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	10. Chapter 10

**Yay for me managing to crank out yet another chapter!!!! **

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**I love y'all!!!**

**

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**Edward's POV**

When I got back to my apartment, Bella wasn't there. I hadn't really expected her to be…but still, it was disappointing. So, I sent her a text.

_  
"Bella, I'm so sorry for doing that…I'm sorry! Where are you?" _then, I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Half an hour later, still no reply.

I guess she's really mad at me. Can't say I blame her. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, making it even messier than it usually was. It was something I did when I was anxious. Maybe I should just give her some space for a while? I'd never quite figured out if that was one of the stupid things that guys did or not…

**Bella's POV**

I sat down on my bed, looking at the bits and pieces of my poor, innocent phone that I had destroyed when I threw it against the wall.

Great. Now I had to buy myself a new phone too.

I groaned and kicked my shoes off.

Oh great. I'd left all of Adele's Christmas presents at Edward's. What else? Oh, yeah. I had three of his tee shirts, one pair of his pants, and one of his jackets. I'd have to give those back too.

Okay, that's it. I'm going to take a nice, long, hot shower.

**Edward's POV**

I had been staring up at my ceiling for the past hour, how pathetic. I sat up slowly, and heard my back pop.

This giving her space thing was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

I mean, she was my entire life! How was I supposed to live without my life? And a better question yet, how the hell was I supposed to say I was sorry for something like this? Maybe flowers would be a good start…I jumped up off the couch and ran out the door. Was it lucky that there was a florist less than a block away? Yes. However, it was closed on Sundays.

As I walked back towards the apartment, I wondered how long I was supposed to give her. A day? Two? _Three?_

I don't think I could last more than a day. Tomorrow was Monday. I had hour long lessons at 10:00, 1:30, 4:00, and 6:00. At least I would be busy...the doorman, Rob, gave me a sympathetic look as I walked by, seeming like he knew exactly what I was going through. For all I knew, he did. As I rode the elevator up to the ninth floor I started coming up with the plan for tomorrow. I stepped out of the elevator and fumbled with my keys, trying to find the right one for my door. I finally managed to find the right one.

_If we can make it through this, I have to get a copy made for Bella…Maybe ask her to move in with me. _I thought.

Yes, I was taking things fast, but the part of town that she lived in really made me nervous. Me? I could take a couple of the guys that hung around her apartment building. Bella? No way. Sure, she'd put up a good fight but…

I shook my head, refusing to think about that idea.

I had more than enough space for her. I had two extra bedrooms, an extra bathroom…I wasn't going to be expecting anything.

But, of course, there was no way for me to be able to broach the subject without her thinking that I was, so…for now, it was out of the question, not to mention the fact that I was already trying to figure out the best to apologize for something massively stupid I'd done.

Let's see…what does Bella love? Books. My piano playing. Chocolate. Flowers. Coffee, even though she had an extremely low tolerance for it. My clothes. I dropped my keys on the little table in the hallway, kicked off my shoes, hung up my jacket on one of the empty hooks. I walked to the back room of my apartment and started cleaning it up, since I was giving lessons tomorrow. There was one of Bella's many notebooks on the desk, and I flipped it open, starting to read.

_"Come on…please? It's my favorite." _She had been asking me to play one of the songs that I'd written. I smiled, thinking about my attempts to compose a song specifically _for _her. So far, nothing was right. Then, I was hearing a tune in my head…I set the notebook down and strode over to the piano, sitting down at it. I closed my eyes and listened to the music in my head, trying to hear the notes. _Got it._ I thought, as my fingers touched the keys.

**Bella's POV**

The shower didn't really help…it relaxed me, but it didn't help me to stop thinking about Edward. I gave it up as a lost cause as I pulled on a blue tee shirt, one of Edwards, and his track pants. I sat down on the couch and turned on my TV, trying to find something decent to watch on the local channels. News…news…more news…I sighed and settled on just watching a news channel while I munched on a bowl of cereal. It was around seven-thirty when someone knocked.

I jumped up and ran to the door, flinging it open…but it wasn't Edward. Of course it wasn't. It was just Emmett.

"Hey…I just wanted to see if you were home yet…I've sent you five texts." I just looked at my brother standing out in the hallway.

I stepped forwards and flung my arms around him, burying my face in his stomach.

"Whoa! Hey…what's the matter?" he said in surprise, then concern. He wrapped one of his huge arms around me, and patted my head with his other hand. After a minute he scooped me up in his arms and carried me back inside, kicking the door shut, and sat down with me on the couch.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do I need to take you to the hospital? Should I go beat up Edward?" he asked, sounding a little panicked. I smiled a little through my tears. Oh Emmett…he would probably try, and possibly succeed, to beat up an alligator if it took a snap at me. Without lifting my head up off his chest, my hands started to trace the words in the air.

_"Mom sent me a picture message of Adele today." _I told him, still crying a little. He smoothed down my hair with one of his big hands.

"Okay…do you miss her? Is she okay?" If possible, he sounded a little more worried than he had before. He loved being an uncle, especially to a little girl like Adele, even if he hated her dad. I nodded.

_"She's doing fine. And I do miss her…but that's not it. Edward looked at the message. He knows about her…and when he found out, he left!" _I finished, starting to cry harder. I felt the rumble building in Emmett's chest before I heard the growl.

"He just left? What the hell?" He said, no longer sounding worried, but furious.

_"And I threw my phone at the wall."_ I pointed at the mangled remains of it on my bed. He stared at them in shock.

"Wow…nice throw, Bell." He commented in an awed voice. I hid my face in his chest again, still crying. I hadn't cried all afternoon, and it felt good to finally let it out.

So…my brother held me while I cried. By the time I was completely finished, Rose had come over to check on us twice and it was 8:55. I could feel myself about to drift asleep, worn out from crying so much. Emmett tucked me into my bed and turned the heater up.

"You're going to be okay now?" he asked. I nodded sleepily.

"Okay. Remember, me and Rose are right next door if you need anything. I love you, Kid." He said, leaning over me and kissing my forehead. He turned out the lights and left, locking my door behind him. I didn't have to wait long for sleep to come, just a few minutes. As I was about to drift off I thought.

_"Don't dream of Edward." _

Yeah, right.

**Edward's POV**

I'd been staring at the TV screen for two hours. I didn't even know what the show was, I think it was a Mexican game show. I glanced over at the corner that I had given to all of the stuff that Bella had left behind. I hoped that when I gave those to her that it wouldn't be like one of those break up situations, awkward, exchanging boxes of stuff that you'd given each other. I was startled by someone pounding on my door. I got up slowly and walked down the hall, passing the mirror. Whoa. I looked terrible, I have to say. My hair was even messier than usual, my skin was pale, even for me, and my eyes were slightly bloodshot.

All this, just from a few long hours without her. I unlocked the door and opened, not really caring who it was.

And, I got pushed back into the hall of my apartment, held up against the wall by two large hands gripping the front of my shirt.

Oh God, I was going to die.

Emmett Swan glared down at me with pure _hatred _in his eyes.

"Do you have _any _idea what I've been doing for last two hours?" he growled at me. I'm not proud to say that I was scared. Really, truly _scared. _I shook my head.

"I've been holding my baby sister while she cried her heart out, _again." _Emmett snarled at me.

_No. _I forgot about the huge man that was a second away from strangling me. I'd hurt Bella more than I'd ever thought I had.

"Let me go." I told him, struggling to free myself. I knew the answer now; "give her space" is complete bull-shit.

"Why?" he asked, still sounding angry, but surprise was there too.

"Because I'm a stupid idiot who has to make things right and whoever said that the best thing to do is to 'give her space' should be thrown off a cliff." I said, struggling again. Emmett was silent, probably contemplating what he was going to do to me first.

"Please, Emmett. You can kill me afterwards, just _please _let me try to make up for what I did." I begged. Yes, I begged. Emmett looked at me with the same eyes as Bella's, it was obvious that they were related. He stared, for several seconds. Ten...fifteen...thirty...

"Fine. But if hear that she's been crying about you again, you'd better run and hope you're faster than I am." he let me go, but not before shoving my head roughly into the wall. I grabbed my keys, shoved my shoes back onto my feet, and pulled on my jacket, then waited impatiently for him to leave so I could lock up. I tapped my foot, holding the door open. He grudgingly walked out, his hands shoved in his pockets. I quickly locked the door, then turned around and darted towards the stairwell. No time for the elevator. Those nine flights of stairs were nothing. I pushed open the heavy door and ran out into the lobby, flying past the doorman and out onto the street.

**Bella's POV**

Of course I dreamed of Edward. How could I not? I didn't want the dream to end, wanted to hold on to the image of Edward for as long as possible, but, to my annoyance, the knocking on my door woke me up. What time was it? Surely, it couldn't be morning yet. Please, don't let it be morning yet. The clock read 10:03 P.M. I stumbled out of bed and pulled on Edward's letterman's jacket; it was cold in my apartment, despite Emmett turning up the heat before he left. I stumbled sleepily towards the door, unlocked it, and opened it, rubbing my eyes.

Suddenly, warm arms were wrapped around me and my face was pressed against a sweet, spicy smelling chest.

Edward...

I felt him kiss the top of my head and I sighed.

I definitely didn't want to wake up from this dream.

**Edward's POV**

To my surprise, Bella freed herself from my embrace. No, that wasn't the surprise. I deserved that. What surprised me was that she slapped herself across the fast, with a resounding _smack._ I had accepted her to slap _me, _not herself. She raised her hand to do it again, looking at me with wide eyes.

"_Bella!" _I shouted, grabbing her hand before she could.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I asked, shutting the door. I glanced around sadly. Another reason why I wanted Bella to move in with me...she deserved way more than this. I shivered. It was cold in here too. Way too cold. She sighed and picked up one of her numerous notebooks, and a pen. She wrote on it slowly, then handed it to me.

"_I had to make sure that I wasn't dreaming... I guess you had to break up with me sometime...sooner better than later, huh?" _I could hear her voice saying the words in a sad, rejected tone, but she would've attempted to make it happier, like it didn't really matter to her, but she would've failed. There was so much...hurt, sorrow, in her eyes, it felt like my heart had been stabbed, shot, slashed, because this time, it was because of _me_ that they were there. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly, like if she didn't she would fly to pieces. I walked stepped closer to her and traced the tear stains on her cheeks lightly, with my thumb.

_My fault..._

"Bella...no, look at me," I said softly as she tilted her head away from my hand.

**Bella's POV**

"_Here it comes, Bella. Try not to cry." _I told myself as I forced myself to look into his beautiful, vibrant green eyes. I loved his eyes...and his hair. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling.

"Bella, I love you." he said, very, very softly, his voice sounding even more beautiful than it had ever before. I blinked. He'd never said...he'd never told me he loved me before. My arms dropped from my torso to my sides in surprise. I signed a simple word, one he knew.

"_What?" _My eyes were wide in shock, I knew. Edward smiled, just a little, and put his hands on the tops of my shoulders, gripping gently, and stooped so that our eyes were on the same level.

"I love you, Isabella Marie Swan." he said to me again. "Here, let me see that note book...and the pen too." It seemed like strange request, but I gave them to him anyways. He wrote something down, tore out the page, and handed it to me.

"_Edward Anthony Masen__ loves Isabella Marie Swan." _It looked so beautiful, there on the page in his elegant handwriting. Our names even seemed like they went together...just belonged.

"There. Read them every day. _I love you._ Look at me! I'm a mess! I've only been away from you for a few hours, and it's been terrible!" He said, running his hand through his hair, and making it stand up even more than it had been already. I could tell he'd done this several times during the last few hours.

I took the notebook and pen back, setting the paper he'd given me on the bar so that I could write.

"_But what about Adele. I may not be the best mother in the world, but if you don't like her, you can't love me." _I gave him the notebook and watched as his eyes scanned the page.

"I don't know if I like her yet. I haven't met her, have I? But I'm sure I will...I've always loved kids." He smiled.

_Oh my God, he's absolutely perfect._ I thought, standing up on my tiptoes and kissing him. His arms snaked around me and he kissed me back, but was careful not to go too far, not to push me. He was always so careful with me..._perfect. _I thought again.

I couldn't bring myself to say that I loved him. It was just...a danger zone in my mind. But, he didn't seem to notice, and it felt like I was showing him that I loved him, because, even though I wouldn't say it...sign it, write it, whatever, I did. I'd known that for a long time.

I'd figure out how to really say it, someday. Just not tonight. There'd already been too much going on today...I wasn't sure how much more I could take. I broke away from Edward when I felt like I couldn't hold off the memories any longer. I picked up the notebook again, taking a deep breath before I began writing.

"_Do you want to just stay here for the night? It's already so late..." _I handed it to him before I could rip out the page. He read it quickly.

"Are...are you sure? I don't mind walking home...I don't want you to be uncomfortable, I know how you get..." He drifted off. I took the note book back and wrote-

"_I don't mind. Here, let me go change into some of my own clothes, and then you can have these." _I gave it back to him and let him read. He smiled.

"Okay. I'll stay. Go change, I'll wait here...and turn the heat up a bit." He set the notebook down on the bar counter.

I smiled back and crossed the room and opened my dresser, finding a pair of flannel PJ pants and tank top to put on. He sat down on the couch to wait for me. I went into the bathroom and changed, looking in the mirror.

_He loves me..._

I had to smile. How could I not?

I came out of the bathroom and waited while Edward changed, pulling his letterman's back on to keep me warm. He came out a minute later, the clothes he'd come in neatly folded. He put them on top of my dresser and held out his arms to me. I flicked off the light and crawled into my bed, patting the spot next to me. He crawled in next to me and pulled the covers over both of us, and wrapped his arms around me, letting me use his shoulder for a pillow.

No memories of my months with Brandon came, because he'd never been so...adoring. He'd treated me like a prize, an object there for his use. Edward didn't. That was the main difference between the two of them.

"I love you." Edward whispered again, then began humming a strange, but beautiful tune to me, a lullaby.

_Perfect. _I thought again, as I snuggled up to him and fell asleep.

* * *

**Yay!! They worked things out =) I wanted to drag things out a bit longer but...they wanted to get back together. Oh well!!**

**By the way, I refrenced a song! I believe it's called "Write This Down" by...George Strait? It's pretty late, and I'm tired...Hey, Dallas, did I get it right?**

**Okay, I was going to type the chorus here, but...I can't remember the exact words!!! ='( Oh well. Look it up on youtube, it's a good song. **

**Peace! Happy Daylight Savings Time!! I have to be up at roughly...5:45 tomorrow morning (6:45 DST) so...YAY!!! Night =)**

**P.S. If I made stupid mistakes...I'm sorry. Once again, it's late. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, another chapter. Not as fast an update as the last few have been, but...it was still pretty quick, right? **

**Once again, I love all of my reviewers!!! Y'all are amazing. Keep on writing those reviews!!!**

**okay, go on and read the chapter. **

* * *

Bella's POV

"Good morning." Someone said as I stirred, beginning to wake up. _What? _I opened my eyes, blinking in the light from my window. Oh, it was Edward. I'd forgotten he was here…he still had one arm wrapped around me, and reached up to push the hair out of my face with his other hand, smiling.

"Are you awake yet?" he asked, sounding a little amused. I shook my head as I yawned, closing my eyes again. He chuckled softly.

"We slept late, Bells. It's already 9:00, and I have a lesson at 10:00…I'm sorry." He said, really sounding like he didn't want to go. I sighed.

"Do you want to sleep in some more?" I thought about it for a minute. It sounded pretty good, but…not good enough. I shook my head, and opened my eyes again. I bit my lip. This not talking thing was getting pretty annoying. I acted like I was writing something in the air.

"Oh!" Edward said, rolling out of bed and standing up fluidly. I would've just fallen on my butt. He walked over to the bar and picked up the notebook and pencil lying there as I sat up, sitting criss-cross. He handed them both to me and sat back down on the bed again, watching me. I blushed a tiny bit and began writing.

_"Could I come with you and just hang out at your place until I have to go to work, please? I won't interrupt your lessons or anything, I promise." _I handed it to him and waited while he read it. He smiled as he did.

"Yeah, sure, that's great. Go ahead and change, and we'll go." He said, putting the notebook down and getting out of bed again. His hair was sticking out in all directions, even messier than it usually was. I smiled, and nodded, attempting to slide out of the bed, but, I ended up tumbling to the floor with a thud. Edward laughed before he held out his hand to help me up. I stuck my tongue out at him as I dusted off my backside, then opened my dresser and pulled out another pair of jeans, but instead of a shirt, a long sleeved, navy blue dress. I skipped into the bathroom and changed, also brushing my teeth, washing my face, and brushing my hair, and actually left it down for once. Alice would've been proud of me. To tell the truth, I would've like to sleep some more. The day before had been extremely tiring, but I didn't really want to have to walk to work from the apartment without Edward. I was a little scared, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I came out of the bathroom to find Edward flipping through the limited selection of channels on the TV, his shoes already on. I sat down on my bed, pulled on a pair of socks, then my fur-lined boots. I was about to stand up, then I decided to tuck my jeans into the boots.

Alice would definitely have been proud of me, even if I didn't look all that great. Hey, I was making an effort, that should count for something. I stood up and cleared my throat to let Edward know I was ready. He looked up and smiled, standing up.

"Beautiful." Was all he said, kissing me on the forehead.

* * *

I spent my morning reading in Edward's bed room, lying on his bed and listening to him giving his lessons. I could tell when he was playing, and when the student was playing, even though the boy was pretty good. At around 11:00 I heard the front door shut and a minute later, foot steps on the stairs. I looked up from my book, one about Catherine Medici, as Edward sat down beside me.

"Do you want to stay here and order pizza for lunch, or go somewhere?" he asked, his voice shattering the silence like bells, in a good way. I memorized the page number and closed the book before answering.

_"Pizza!" _I told him with my hands, smiling. Pizza sounded good. Edward laughed, probably because I was acting like I was twelve.

"Okay. What kind?" his eyes were twinkling in an amused way as he spoke. I thought for a minute, then told him,

_"Cheese." _His sign language vocabulary was big enough that he knew most of the basic food signs, simplifying my life quite a bit. He kept smiling.

"Sounds good, but my half is going to be pepperoni." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Can I borrow your phone to order it?" he asked. I froze. Crap. I hadn't told him about that yet.

_"No." _I told him before reaching for my notebook that was sitting on his nightstand and writing while he watched me with a confused look.

_"Um…my phone kind of had a fight with your wall yesterday…and the wall won." _I wrote, handing it to him with a sheepish look on my own face. He read it, then looked at me with a mixture of horror, amusement, and confusion in his eyes.

"Huh?" he asked, the confusion winning. I sighed and blushed, taking the notebook back.

_"I was mad after you left…so I threw it…and it broke." _I wrote, then handing it back to him, wondering what his reaction would be. The possibilities that I could think of were-

A. He would roar with laughter (he always reminded me a bit of a lion when he did that) and tell me that I shouldn't have done that, since I now had no phone.

B. He would be shocked, tell me that it wasn't _really _the poor phone's fault and that I shouldn't have taken it out on it.

C. He would be slightly amused at my anger, amazed that I could throw the phone hard enough to actually break it, ecstatic that this gave him the perfect excuse to buy me a new _expensive _phone, and appalled that I had walked home last night without a working phone.

I thought that C was the most likely of the three, and I was right. When he was done chewing me out for walking home without a working phone last night he said,

"Well, I guess we get to go phone shopping." He said, grinning and practically bouncing on the bed out of his excitement of the excuse to buy me something.

_"No." _my left hand said as I glared at him. He sighed, his face falling. I felt a tiny bit guilty…okay, a lot guilty, but I wasn't just going to let him buy me a new phone. I could do it myself.

"I'm going to get my phone and order the pizza. Then, we're going to continue this discussion." He said, standing up. I sighed. I had a feeling he was going to win this one. I went back to my reading. A few minutes later, I felt someone smoothing out my hair, and then kiss the top of my head. I jumped, even though I knew that it was Edward. He laughed softly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I rolled my eyes without looking up.

"You're not just going to let this go, are you?" he asked with a sigh, once again sitting down next to me. I shook my head and finally looked up.

_Edward, I can get myself a new phone. I don't care, so please, please don't worry about it!" _I wrote in the note book, all but throwing it at him. He raised an eyebrow as he read it, making me suspicious.

"Fine." Yeah, he was up to something.

I knocked on the door to Edward's office/lesson room at 1:45, pulling on my jacket. Both he and the five year old girl he was teaching looked up at me.

_"I'm going to go now…see you later?" _I traced the words with my hands, feeling like I was being rather rude, since the little girl couldn't understand me. Edward nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. I'll get done around 7:00, then I have to go and drop something of Alice's off for her, then I'll get dinner, so I'll be kind of late. What do you want me to pick up?"

_"Chinese." _

"Okay. Be careful. Love you." He crossed the room in a few long strides and kissed my cheek, ignoring the giggles of little girl at the piano. I smiled and left them to their lessons.

* * *

The bells on the shop door tinkled and the sounds of New York City came in through the open door.

"Isabella!" a familiar voice said cheerfully, in a perfect Italian accent. I smiled and grabbed my marker board.

_"Mr. Frank!" _I wrote, holding it up for him to see. He hadn't been around for quite a while, I was glad to see him. But, something was wrong. I could see it in his eyes. Even though he was smiling, his eyes showed me that he was devastated on the inside.

_"Oh…what's the matter?" _I wrote, hoping against hope that it wasn't what I thought it was.

He sighed, all traces of fake happiness fading from his face.

"Oh, Bella. Delia is gone." He said, his voice heavy with the loss. I set down my voice, the board and marker, and walked around the counter. I hugged him tightly, feeling my tears spill over. It was at times like these when I was a little grateful that I didn't speak, because I wasn't expected to say anything comforting. I felt his body start to shake with sobs, and before I knew it, he was crying. I could feel my own heart break over his misery. I couldn't imagine it…Mr. Frank had told me their story. They had been married when he was nineteen and she was eighteen. They had been together so long, and now they had been torn apart.

And what was more, I knew that this was a goodbye visit. Mr. Frank didn't plan to out live Delia by much. I didn't expect him to run a knife through his heart, or jump out of fifth story window, or any dramatic suicide. But I could feel it. His will to live was draining out of him, even now. He wouldn't last much longer without her.

I was going to lose him, the man who had been the grandfather I'd never had for a few short months, very, very soon.

"I miss her Isabella. I miss her…_so _much." The old man sobbed. I cried with him, for his loss, because there was nothing that I could do for him, and because he was leaving me.

"I…I wanted you to have this, Isabella." He was the only person I allowed to call me Isabella. It sounded like it was right when he said it. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a fat book, then held it out to me. I took it, carefully.

"Don't open it until I'm gone." He said, pulling me into his arms and hugging me tightly for another long minute before he turned and without another word, walked back out into the streets of the city, where he didn't have anyone who cared the least bit about him.

I looked down at the book in my hands. It looked like a journal. I wiped my eyes, trying to stop new tears from coming, and walked back around to the other side of the counter, sitting down on my stool and opening it. It was handwriting, in Mr. Frank's neat, simple printing.

_"My Dear Isabella, _

_Enclosed in this little book, is a brief story of my life, and Delia's, and several pictures of both of ours. _

_I love you like one of my own children._

_Don't feel like you weren't enough to keep me here. No, it wasn't you. I never planned to live long without Delia, and she felt the same. We've just been together too long to be separated. _

_We're not really gone. Our memory lives on, in your heart, in this book, in our biological family. _

_Don't feel sad for me, but it's okay to cry. There's no harm in a few tears. Just remember that this is what I want, and that I'm always happier when I'm with her. _

_Love,_

_Frank Lababera _

I shut the book as the bells tinkled again, another customer. I wanted to read the book alone. It was just to special to share right away.

This was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

**Okay, seriously, I cried while I wrote that. It was just so sad....*sniff* I'm going to miss Mr. Frank. **

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	12. Chapter 12

**Okay....this is a really short chapter, but I'm happy with it. **

**THIS IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ONE!!!!!!!!! **

**THanks for all the reviews =) **

**Happy birthday, leytonfan30!!!! hope tomorrow's great!!!**

**Now, read on. **

* * *

Bella's POV

Five days later, I was in Edward's office, listening to him play and reading the newspaper. When I got to the deaths, there he was, smiling at me from the page.

Frank Lababera.

I'd been expecting it. I'd made sure to read that particular section of the newspaper every morning. But now that I saw it, in black and white, it hit me hard. I actually spoke, one word.

"No." I said, shaking my head as tears raced each other down my cheeks, off the end of my nose. For once in his life, Edward made a mistake in his playing, then turned to look at me. Before I could even blink, he had his arms around me. I didn't say anything else, I wasn't even sure why I had spoken that one little word in the first place, but I cried harder than I had in a long time, including the day that Edward had found out about Adele.

"Bella, what is it? What's the matter? Does something hurt? What happened? What should I do?" He asked, sounding panicked. I didn't really blame. I was sobbing so hard that I almost made myself gag. After a minute of just holding me, helpless, he scooped me up and carried me into the living room, and sat down on the couch with me. I was still clutching the paper. I couldn't calm down enough to write, much less sign, so I jabbed my finger at Mr. Frank's picture, hoping that Edward would remember who he was.

**Edward's POV**

I looked at the picture of the old man, then at the name. Frank…I think that he had been one of Bella's friends from her job. The article said that he had been found dead in his home yesterday morning, after his heart just…stopped.

I'd never seen Bella like this. It flat out scared me. I wasn't sure of what I should do, or even if there was anything I _could _do, other than hold her.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. I'm sorry." I said, trying to think of something better to say. Nothing came to me, so I carefully pried the newspaper out of her hands and set it on the floor, and just held her. I didn't like feeling this helpless. It was terrible, to just have to sit there when Bella was in this state. But what could I do against death? As far as I knew, nothing.

After a half an hour of non-stop sobbing, she fell asleep in my arms. I sighed in relief and carefully laid her on the couch, then went to find the phone. I needed someone who knew her well…

"Lo?" Emmett said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Hey…it's Edward. I need to know, what kind of things make Bella feel better when she's sad?" I asked. It wasn't until the words had left my mouth that I thought of the normal reasons a boyfriend would ask his girlfriend's family what to do when she was upset. Oh, crap.

"Masen…what did you do to my baby sister?" he growled. I could practically picture his face, and it scared me. But nowhere near as much as Bella's crying.

"I didn't do anything! A friend of hers died…and I don't know what to do."

**Emmett's** **POV**

I could feel my face soften. I may look pretty scary, with my size and all, but really, I was pretty soft-hearted. Not that I would ever admit it to anyone, but…most people I knew already knew it anyways, so it didn't matter. I could picture the way that Bella had been crying.

I'd had to be the one to carry her through that so many times during the last three years. I could imagine how Edward felt. It was a terrible feeling…being helpless, not able to fix things and give her a reason to stop crying and smile, just a little bit.

I also thought of the conversation that Bella had had with me a couple of days ago.

_"I've decided something." She wrote in her little notebook. Usually, she would've signed, but she had told me that she just wanted to write tonight. _

_"Okay…what?" I said, wondering what it was. She bent her head to write again, her hair falling in front of her face. She had dad's hair, dad's eyes. After a minute she gave the notebook back to me to let me read it. I missed her voice. I hadn't heard it for so long, unless I caught her sleep talking. _

_"I want Edward to know…about Brandon. And what happened. He wants to meet Adele, and I don't know if I can let him meet her without knowing how she came to be…But I don't know if I can tell him. I don't think I can make myself write out the story, and he doesn't know enough for me to sign it to him. Could you…maybe? Please?" as I read the words she'd written, I could hear her voice again in my mind. She would've been hesitant to ask, then used her pleading tone, as effective as the pout that Alice had taught me. How could I say no? _

I sighed. I guess now was as good a time as any.

"Is she asleep now?" I asked, knowing how things usually went after one of these upsets. Bella didn't cry all that often, but when she did…she wore herself out.

"Yeah." Edward answered, and I could hear the relief in his voice. I rubbed my temples, not really sure how I was going to do this.

"Figures…look, she should be out of it for awhile, so we don't really need to worry about cheering her up for another couple of hours. But…the other night, Bella asked me to talk to you about something…is now a good time?" I asked. _It's for Bella, you can do it. _I told myself, waiting for his answer.

"Um…yeah, sure…" he finally answered, sounding a bit confused.

"Okay. I'll be over in a little while." I said, hanging up the phone before he could say anything else.

* * *

A few minutes later, I knocked on Edward's door, holding a carton of Bella's favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's. I wondered how Edward didn't know about the Ben and Jerry's thing…it was key to cheering up a girl. He answered a minute later, looking even paler than he usually did. I could hear Bella mumble in her sleep as I walked inside. I held up the ice cream for him to see.

"Memorize it. It's her favorite. You can't go wrong with it, now where's your freezer?" He stared at the label for a few seconds, then started walking down the hall. I followed him, assuming that he was leading the way to the kitchen. I was right, and I put the ice cream in his freezer, then sat down at the table.

"Okay. I 'm not really sure how to go about this…but, in a nutshell, Bella wants me to tell you about how Adele…well, how she happened." I said, sighing. I wondered if _I _could make it through this. He nodded, sitting down across the table from me. _Well…here goes nothing. _I took a deep breath, then launched into the story.

"When Bella was fifteen, she started dating a guy named Brandon King. He was eighteen, and so was I. I had heard some pretty bad stories about him, and I didn't like the relationship, but, of course, Bella didn't listen to me." I shook my head, remembering the numerous fights we'd had over the subject.

"We ended up not talking for over a month." I sighed. "My dad didn't like him either. No one did, really, except for Bella…She always tended to overlook the bad qualities in people." Edward was quiet, and I was glad for the small bit of luck. If he'd interrupted me, I don't know if I could've gone through the whole story. If it was hard for me to talk about, I can't even imagine how it would be for Bella.

"She didn't notice what I did. He acted like he was a great guy, agreed to wait, brought her flowers every other day, the makings of her dream guy." I could feel myself begin to get angry. "But I could tell, it was all a _lie." _I said through gritted teeth.

"They'd been going out for six months, and she turned sixteen." I stopped to take a few deep breaths. "Three weeks after her birthday, I got a text from her. She'd been over at his house for a couple hours, and it was starting to get dark. It said, 'help' and that was it." I saw Edward's jaw tighten, and I wondered if he'd guessed by now. I put my head in my hands as I went on, remembering that night.

"I ran. It was a small town, and he didn't live far from our house. The door was locked, but I broke a window. I had such a bad feeling…" I stopped and took another shaky breath. "His parents weren't home, obviously. Anyways, I went up to his room…" I swallowed hard.

"Blood. Lots of blood. Bella was on the floor, beaten within an inch of her life. Brandon had shot himself." My voice broke.

**Edward's POV**

He didn't need to go on. I didn't want him to. I could piece it together easily. Oh, Bella…

I wished that he hadn't killed himself like a coward, so that I could go and find him. I wanted to hurt him.

I could feel myself shaking with anger, and felt the rip in my heart. Bella. Bella…my Bella…

"She hasn't spoken since." Emmett said softly, gaining control over his voice again. "And I'm amazed that she's trusted you as much as she has. She wouldn't let me touch her for a month afterwards, my dad for three months." He sighed, heavily. "I remember the first night she let me touch her again. It was the night she found out that she was pregnant. She let me hold her while she cried, and we feel asleep in my bed, like we had when our parents had told us that they were getting a divorce." I felt a tear slide down my cheek, and I let it. It didn't seem so bad to shed a few tears, not for Bella.

"She was going to give up the baby. Put her up for adoption. I gave her one of my hoodies, you know, the dark green one? I let her wear it to hide her bump during the first couple months after the bump showed up, to hide it as long as she could. There wouldn't have been any point in dropping out of school, it was a small town and word would've gotten around anyways. My dad wanted to send her to Phoenix, to our mom, but she wouldn't go." I didn't interrupt him. I didn't have anything to say. He smiled, a tiny bit.

"I took her to the hospital when she went into labor. Charlie…he passed out on the hospital floor when he got there. _I _was the one that got my hand crushed." He laughed softly. "Bella's strong. She broke my finger." He said, wiggling his right ring finger absent mindedly. He sounded proud of himself.

"I was the first one to hold my niece. The nurse just put her in my arms…she had so much hair, the same color as Bella's. Then, she was handed off to Bella. She looked down at her baby, and back up to me, and I could tell, just from her eyes, that she wanted her. And so, Adele Evangeline Swan was born." He finished.

I was so proud of my Bella.

* * *

**Ugh. I'm glad I've gotten writing that sad story out of the way. I loathed writing that. **

**So, now y'all know what happened to her. Review, tell me you hate me, tell me you love me...whatever. just review.**

**and please, please, please vote on the poll on my profile. please?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yay, another chapter!!!**

**Thanks again to all my reviewers!! Keep those coming!!! And also, to the over 80 people who have this story on their alerts. Quick question though...you can't leave a teeny, tiny review when you read the story? Only like...a fourth of y'all do!!! =(**

**To you that do review, I love you guys soooo much!!! Thanks for the making the story worth writing =)**

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Edward's POV

Emmett left a few minutes after he'd told me the story. He'd left me a list of things that could cheer Bella up when she woke up. The apartment seemed oddly quiet with her asleep, and she must've been sleeping well, she wasn't really talking, just mumbling a little. I sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch and watched her sleep.

I hated Brandon. I'd never seen him, and I hated him. I wanted to find a way to bring him back to life so that I could kill him again. I took a deep breath to calm myself. No use in thinking like that. For now, I should focus on three things.

1. Cheering Bella up, with the help of the list that Emmett had left me.

2. Figuring out how to tell her that Emmett had told me without making her feel weird.

3. Figuring out how to tell her that I bought her a phone on Monday…

I wondered if it would wake her if I carried her up to my bed, it would be more comfortable for her up there. I chewed on my lip for a minute before deciding that I would risk it. I carefully scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. I set her down in the middle of the bed and pulled the covers over her. She was still fast asleep.

"Mommy's girl…" Bella whispered, wrapping her arms around a pillow. I smiled a little bit. It was obvious how much she missed Adele.

Cue the lightbulb lighting up over my head.

Bella had already asked me to come to Forks with her for Christmas, which I'd agreed to.

This was going to be perfect.

Bella's POV

I could tell that Edward was up to something. He smiled a little too often, his hands twitched, and his eyes were twinkling. Just what I wanted to wake up to. He was downstairs, playing his piano when I woke up, but jumped up when I stumbled into the door of his office. My balance didn't improve when I was still half asleep.

"Hey…how are you feeling?" he asked in a gentle voice, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I blinked at him. _Pretty damn crappy. _I wanted to tell him, but instead, I just shrugged. His hand slid down my arm and he twined his fingers through mine.

"Come on." He said, pulling me towards the kitchen. I sat down at the table, my head in my hands. I felt weak…and my head hurt. To tell the truth, I hadn't felt this bad since I was pregnant with Adele and had terrible morning sickness. It felt like I'd been run over by an eighteen wheeler.

"Emmett said it was your favorite…" Edward said, setting down a spoon, then…God bless Edward Masen. A carton of mint chocolate chip and Reese's Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I stood up and threw my arms around him. He laughed and returned the hug, kissing the top of my head.

"I'm going to guess that he was right?" he asked, smoothing my hair down. I nodded, sitting back down and digging in.

"Come back to my place now? I have a surprise for you." Edward said, waiting for me while I locked the door to the bookstore. The store wouldn't be open again until the first day of the New Year. Heidi was going to be flying to Florida for her Christmas vacation, and I would be flying to Forks, Washington, with Edward, Emmett, and Rose in two days. I grimaced. I hated surprises, and he knew it.

_"Tell me!" _I said with my free hand; he was holding my right one. He smiled my favorite smile and shook his head.

"But that would ruin it! You'll just have to wait the few minutes while we walk." I stuck my tongue out at him. It was snowing, unfortunately. I zipped up the jacket. It was huge on me, but it was warm too. I had to admit, my life was a lot easier now that I didn't have any secrets I was hiding from Edward. I felt lighter, like I was just…me again. I started skipping, probably a bad idea with all the ice on the sidewalk, but Edward wouldn't let my fall. He laughed, and skipped with me. We get more than a few weird looks, but what did it matter? I was happy. Really, truly, happy.

Before too long, Edward was unlocking the door to his apartment. He held the door open for me and I walked in first, wondering what this surprise would be, a little nervously. I took off my jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks in the entryway, but that was as far as I got. The patter of little feet reached my ears and I turned my head to look at Edward, who was grinning, obviously very proud of himself. I turned my head again, as I was hit by a small body, arms around my legs. I fell backwards, Edward catching me and standing me back up on my feet again. I looked down and there she was. My girl.

"Mommy!" She yelled, squeezing my knees tightly and looking up at me with her sparkling eyes. Brandon's eyes. But that didn't matter, because she was mine. I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her.

"Mommy I can't breathe!" She complained, her voice slightly muffled. I laughed and loosened my grip on her a little.

_"I'm sorry, Baby." _I signed to her, holding her up with one arm. She was still so little…I looked up and saw my mom and step-dad standing in the door way. Phil had his hand on Renee's shoulder, standing a little behind her. My mom held out her arms, inviting me in for a hug. I obliged, still holding onto Adele.

"Why didn't you tell me your boyfriend was so sweet? He called me on Sunday, and asked if it would be possible for us to bring Adele here, to New York, because you missed her. Even offered to pay for the plane tickets." she said, smiling. I looked back at Edward. I'd have to thank him for that, now to figure out the way to do it…I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, setting Adele on my lap. She might be small, but she was still heavy if I held her for too long.

_"Mommy missed you so much!" _I told Adele. She was smart for a two year old, talking in sentences and signing fluently.

"Me too, Mommy." She said in her angel's voice. It was high-pitched, childish, and clear as bells. I just smiled at her. There wasn't really anything that I could say. Then, her little face grew worried.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Don't cry…" she said, reaching up with her tiny hand and wiping away a tear that I hadn't even realized I'd shed. She was so little…it didn't look like she'd grown much since the last time I'd seen her. But then, she wouldn't be three until July. She still had a long time to grow.

_"I'm happy." _I told her. I'd forgotten all about My mom and Phil, and even Edward. I couldn't take my eyes off of Adele. I'd missed her so much…

**Edward's POV**

I watched Bella with her daughter in awe. This was a whole new Bella, Bella the mother. The two were in their own world, forgetting all about the rest of us.

Adele was adorable. Absolutely adorable. She was wearing a pair of heavy, red leggings over a black skirt, a red sweater, and little black boots. Her hair was just the same shade of slightly reddish brown as Bella's, and it was pulled back with a red ribbon. Her complexion was just as pale as her mom's, even though she lived in Florida. The only thing about the little girl's looks that seemed different than Bella's were the eyes. They were green, with a hint of blue in them. They must've belonged to her father.

I bit my lip. Brandon _was _her biological father, but he wasn't actually her Dad. Adele didn't have a dad. She had her aunt and uncle, her grandparents, and her mother. But no Dad.

Was it a crazy idea, one that made me seem out of my mind, if I had some strange desire to _be _that dad? If I voiced that wish to Bella, how would she take it? I'd known Bella for less than three months, but I already knew that I wanted her to be the rest of my life. And Adele too. I'd known the little one for less than four hours, and she'd already gotten me wrapped around her tiny finger.

"Okay, well, we have to be off. People to see, planes to catch…" Renee said, bending down and hugging her daughter, then kissed her Granddaughter on the cheek. Phil followed suit.

"Adele has everything she'll need in her suitcases. We love you! We'll see you after Christmas." Bella had explained to me the way Christmas in her family worked every year. They would spend actual Christmas day with whichever parent's turn it was, then fly to see the other for the few days afterwards. It would work the same way this year, except this time, Bella was bringing Adele and me to Forks with her. Then, we would fly down to Florida a couple of days afterwards, then back up to New York, leaving Adele with her grandparents.

Before Bella could do anything more than look confused, Renee and Phil had left.

_"What just happened?" _her hands traced the words, Adele watching them too. I sat down next to her to explain, and was surprised by Adele climbing into my lap.

"Well…I called your mom a couple of days ago, you heard about that part. Adele is going to stay here, with us, until we fly up to your dad's for Christmas. Afterwards, we'll fly down to see your mom and Phil, and Adele will stay there, while we come back." I explained while Bella and Adele listened. Adele yawned hugely, rubbing her eyes. I mentally slapped myself. This poor kid had flown from Florida to New York, and it was already past 9:30. She had to be ready for bed. I was startled by Bella holding out a notepad to me, with her messy scrawl on it.

_"I don't have room for her…" _Bella had written. I shook my head.

"I know that. That's why, you two are going to stay here for the next few days. I've fixed up one of the guest rooms for Adele." The little girl yawned again, resting her head against my chest.

"Can I go night- night now?" she asked, in a very tired voice.

**Bella's POV**

Edward had thought of everything. I had to hand it to him. And I still hadn't figured out how I was going to tell him how much this meant to me. I looked at them sitting there, and…I liked the scene. I knew I wasn't a good mother. I really felt guilty about not being a better one. But…I liked this. It was like we were our own little family, me, Edward, and Adele.

I wanted us to be a family. I wanted to live here, with Edward and Adele, and be a real family. One with both a mom _and _a dad for Adele. I bit my lip. There was no use in wishful thinking. For now, it seemed like a good idea to get Adele into bed. I held out my arms for her and she sleepily crawled off Edward's lap and into them. I stood up carefully with her resting her sleepy, curly haired head on my shoulder, her chubby hand playing with my hair, something that she did when she was tired. Edward stood up as well, and picked up two little suitcases, and a backpack that I hadn't noticed before. I followed him out of the living room and up the stairs. He nodded to the door across from his room, and I opened it for him. He set the bags down at the end of the bed.

"I'll be in our room." He murmured to me on his way out.

_Our _room…had I heard right? Probably not. Just the wishful thinking getting to my head. I set Adele down on the bed, where she stood with her eyes half closed, and opened one of the suitcases. Of course, my mother had over, packed, but that was better than under packing. I picked out a yellow nightgown with a picture of Bella, the Disney Princess on the front of it. I helped her put it on, and when she had it on she said,

"Mommy, potty." I was lucky. Adele both spoke, and potty trained early. Oh thank God. I led her across the hall to Edward's room, knocking before opening the door, in case he was changing.

"Come in." he said, and I opened the door. I smiled at him as I lead Adele to the bathroom. When she was done, I took her back to her room and tucked her into bed, finding a few of her favorite stuffed animals in the backpack.

_"I love you. Me and Edward are right across the hall. Sleep tight." _I told her after rubbing my nose against hers, our bedtime tradition. I had to sign it three times before she understood.

Then, a crazy feeling hit me. I wanted to talk. It would simplify things so much…It would be much, much easier to talk to…well, everybody, make it easier to get a better paying job…I really wanted to talk again.

"I love you Mommy." She said, already almost asleep. I stood up and switched off the lamp. Oh, Edward was good. He even had night-light in here. I left the door open and walked across the hall, and knocked again.

"It's fine, Bells." Edward called and I opened the door. I was still pondering the idea of wanting to talk again as I picked up the clothes that he'd laid out for me, and went into the bathroom to change.

Then, another idea hit me.

Talking…

It would be the perfect way to show Edward how much this meant to me. The only question was…was I able to do it? I knew I still talked in my sleep, so my voice wouldn't be _too _out of use…would it? I kept thinking about it while I brushed my teeth. And while I brushed my hair. And brushed my teeth again.

Finally, Edward knocked softly.

"Are you alright, Bella?" he called through the door. Oh, here was another reason why talking again would be to my advantage. He couldn't see me nod my head…I sighed softly, and came out of the bathroom, and nodded.

_"Thank you…so much." _I signed to him, slowly, standing up on my tiptoes and kissing him. I felt him smile as he kissed me back, being careful not to overstep the boundaries that he finally understood the reasons behind, that I'd set for him.

"I wanted you to be happy again. And she's so sweet…" Edward said when I pulled away. He let me go as we got into his bed, so much more comfortable than mine. _Try it. _I told myself, opening my mouth.

"Thank…you." I whispered, afraid of what my voice might sound like, and worried that my lips had forgotten how to form the words. It was hard…but I could do it.

I could do it!

Edward stared at me in shock, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open.

"Oh my God…Bella, did you just?" he finally whispered, sounding amazed. I nodded, grinning. Talking felt good. _Very _good.

"Bella, you just spoke!" he said, beginning to smile too. I nodded again, giggling a bit. He leaned in and kissed me again.

"I love you." He said before he turned out the lights. I smiled. I still couldn't say it back…but I was going to soon.

* * *

**She talked!!!! Only a couple of words, but she talked!!! And we finally met little Adele!!!**

**For those of you who I might've confused by suddenly saying that Adele is only two, I realized I'd made a mistake with my simple adding. Sorry!! I went back and edited as many of the age mistakes as I could. She's actually only two. Hope I didn't confuse anyone too much!!!**

**and, thanks to those of you who've voted on the poll. Now...I'm thinking of changing the name of this story to the name of the song. Tell me in your review if you think this is a good or bad idea. Please and thank you!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chpater 14 =)**

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Bella's POV

"Mommy?" A little voice said, right by my ear. I opened my eyes. It was dark, and the clock said that it was 4:24 in the morning. I could just see the outline of a tiny figure in the dark. I felt Edward roll over next to me, and he peered over me to see Adele.

"Bad dream?" he asked in a drowsy voice. Adele nodded, and I heard her sniffle. I sat up, and picked her up, putting her on my lap. This was frustrating . It was too dark, and she was too tired for me to be able to sign to her. I bit my lip, hard. This was another reason why I had to teach myself to talk again. Luckily, I had Edward.

"Do you want to sleep in here for the rest of the night?" he asked in a soothing voice, sitting up as well. Adele nodded again, and wriggled out of my arms to lie in between me and Edward. I smiled, and I heard Edward chuckle very softly as we both lay back down. Adele started playing with Edward hair, and before too long, her breathing was slow and steady, telling me that she was asleep.

_I want it to be like this all the time. _I thought again as I lay awake, listening to Adele's breathing. I felt myself begin to drift off, and I allowed sleep to wash over me.

**Edward's POV**

Slowly, Bella fell asleep too. I smiled as I watched them sleep. _My girls…_I wanted Adele to be my daughter. I knew that. But I still wasn't sure how to ask Bella if she would let me play that position. I was afraid that she wouldn't like the idea, or that she didn't look at our relationship the same way I did. Me…I knew that she was _the one. _I'd always hated that term. It was cheesy and cliché, but now that I'd met Bella…I understood.

_"So…Emmett told me about…you know." I told Bella while she ate her ice cream. She blinked, the scared look crossing her face for a spilt second before she hid the emotion, acting like I hadn't said anything that had effected her. She nodded to show that she'd heard. I wondered what I was supposed to say to her now. I drummed my fingers on the counter in a pattern, like I was playing a D scale. _

_"I don't think any less of you, if that's what you're worried about." I finally said, wondering if that was the right thing to say. She looked up at me with those big brown eyes. They surprised me, so much that I had to take a step back to steady myself. I thought that I'd seen the extent of how badly she was hurting, of how much pure pain there was in her. I'd never been so wrong in my life. _

_Her eyes now, the windows to her soul, weren't guarded anymore. I saw the raw emotions in them, and it was so strong that they hurt just to look at. _

_"Really?" she signed to me, like she didn't believe me. _

_"Really. I still love you…even more than I did before." I said, truthfully and seriously. She just smiled, but she didn't need to do any more than that. I could tell that she was still a little worried that I was lying, but, I could show her that I wasn't. It would take a little bit of time, but…with a bit of luck, I would have as much time as I needed for that. _

Slowly, little pieces of the pain faded from her eyes. I think that she was beginning to believe me. With that happy thought, I closed me eyes, trying to get a little more sleep.

* * *

"Mommy, Eddie wake up!" A little voice shouted as the owner of it jumped on the bed. I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing Adele bouncing on the bed, being careful not to get too close the edges, in her Beauty and the Beast nightgown, her brown, curly hair flying everywhere. I laughed as I sat up. If anyone else had called me "Eddie" I would've been mad. But, Adele couldn't pronounce "Edward" and it sounded so cute when she said it…

Then, she accidentally stepped on leg, then fell on top of me. Bella laughed as I bit my tongue. Adele may be tiny, but it still hurt. I caught her before she could roll off my lap and onto the floor.

"Just like your mom, I see." I teased as she stood back up…and jumped on Bella.

"Whoa!" Bella yelled, surprised, as she almost fell out of bed. I grinned. She'd spoken, again. I would never get tired of hearing her voice. I rolled out of bed.

"Why don't you girls get dressed, and I'll go and get some breakfast?" I suggested, rummaging through my un-organized drawers for something to change into. Bella nodded, yawning.

"Oh, and I'll call Rose and ask her to bring you some clothes, okay, Bells?" I asked as Bella got out of bed and picked up Adele. Bella nodded and carried Adele across the hall to her room to get her dressed. I changed quickly, then walked across the hall and knocked.

"Hey, I'm leaving now. I'll be back in a little while." I called through the door. After a minute, I heard a very, very quiet voice, Bella's say.

"Okay." I smiled widely again. She was talking. It wasn't much, but she was talking.

**Bella's POV**

I got helped Adele get dressed in a pair of jeans, with butterflies embroidered on the left leg of them, and a plain white long sleeved shirt. I brushed her hair and braided it into two little braids.

_"What do you want to do now?" _I signed to her. I wasn't going to get dressed until someone brought me some of my own clothes. The ones I'd slept in would do until then. Adele shifted from one foot to the other, chewing on her finger while she thought. I had to smile, she looked so serious. Then, her face lit up and she grabbed her little back pack off the floor and dug around in it.

"Movie?" she asked, holding up a DVD box. The Lion King Two. I nodded with a smile. I was a little nervous about these next few days. I wasn't sure if I could be a good mother to her, but I think I could manage a movie.

* * *

About fifteen minutes into the movie, someone knocked. I left Adele on the couch, who was intent on watching the movie, to answer it. Emmett and Rose. Rose was carrying my huge duffel bag over her shoulder. She was wearing four inch black stilettos, and a red dress.

"You can thank me later, now, where's Adele?" Rose said before I could even raise my hand to tell her thank you. I laughed softly and led them into the living room. Adele looked up when she heard our footsteps and jumped up, holding out her arms.

"Uncle Emmy!" she yelled with a big smile on her face. My big teddy bear of a brother smiled widely and moved faster than you'd think a person of his size could, and scooped her up into his arms, twirling around in a circle with her while she laughed, hanging onto his arm for dear life. I loved her laugh. It was a beautiful sound, like small, gold bells. Emmett plopped down on the couch with her, tickling her tummy, making her laugh harder. Rose and I looked at each other, both grinning. I thought about showing Rose and Emmett that I was _really _trying to talk again, but I didn't want to. I wasn't sure why…but I just didn't. What a stupid excuse, I know, but I don't know how to describe why I didn't want them to know. Rose set the duffel bag down by the wall.

I noticed a faint sparkle, and looked down. There, on Rosalie's left ring finger, was a diamond ring. I felt my jaw drop and my own hand darted out grabbed hers, lifting it up so that I could see it better. Rose giggled, something that she didn't do often, and we both looked over at Emmett again. Now, he was sitting with Adele on his lap, both of them watching the movie.

_"When?" _I asked with my left hand, and to my surprise, my lips mouthed the word, even though no sound came out of my mouth.

"Yesterday, at my show." Rose said, beaming. "I'll bet that there are pictures somewhere in one of the papers, if not more than one. I can't believe he did it in front of so many people!" Rosalie Whitlock, the famous model's engagement? I had no doubt that it would be in most of the papers, and probably get a brief mention on the entertainment section of the news. Remembering what Rose's career was, I felt a little guilty. She and Emmett could afford to live in this same building as Edward. I knew that the only reason they were living where they were was to keep an eye on me. I would have to do something about that, soon.

_"I'm so happy for you!!" _I signed to Rose, hugging her tightly. My soon to be sister-in-law. Rose walked over and sat down on the couch next to Emmett and Adele. Adele crawled onto "Aunt Rosie's" lap while Emmett held his fiancée's hand. I smiled, watching them for another minute before grapping the shoulder strap on my army green duffel bag and hoisting it up off the ground. Rosalie was a lot stronger than she looked; this thing was _heavy. _I dragged it up the stairs, wondering what she'd packed in this thing, and how she'd managed to make it so heavy. I refused to stop for a breather half way up the stairs. Rosalie had been able to carry it, and she'd been wearing heels. I was barefoot, it should be easier for me!

Finally, I made it up the stairs and dragged the _thing _across the floor and into Edward's room.

_1…2….3! _I thought as I lifted the bag up onto the bed. I rummaged in it, and finally found a pair of red track pants and white cotton tee shirt. Those would work. I changed in the bathroom, brushed my teeth with the spare toothbrush that was now mine, and brushed my hair. There was a knock on the door as I started washing my face.

"Bells?" It was Edward. I thought for a minute before whistling a high note to let him know I was there.

"Hey…can I come in?" he asked. I was a little surprised, and from the tone he was using, I could almost hear him blushing. Confused, I unlocked the door while I started rinsing the soap off my face. I glanced up at him, then did a double take. I felt my jaw drop as I looked at him.

"I was tripped, by one of those stupid little _rats, _that people call Chihuahuas. _" _He explained, while he stood there, mud and melted snow (water) all over him. After staring at him for a minute more, I burst out laughing. He looked so…bewildered, and it was so unexpected for _Edward, _the perfect, graceful, not clumsy in the slightest man, to trip. He glared at me in mock anger and reached into the shower and grabbed his shampoo, and began washing his hair in the other sink. When I was finished rinsing my face I tapped his arm and pointed to floor. He nodded.

"I'll be down in a few minutes. Breakfast is in the kitchen." He said, toweling his hair dry. I nodded and went back downstairs.

* * *

Breakfast was doughnuts, my favorites. Edward had gotten some for everyone, including Rose and Emmett. It wasn't until after Adele had already eaten three doughnut holes that I thought,

_Sugar and an already naturally hyper little girl don't go together all that well…_

**Edward's POV**

Bella gave me a note as I started to get ready for my next lesson. Rose and Emmett had left, and Adele was playing with a puzzle at my desk, which I had cleared off for her. She was already down from her sugar rush, after insisting on playing hide and seek, with designated hiding spots for me and Bella, for over an hour.

_"I need to go and finish up my Christmas shopping. Do you want me to take Adele?" _Bella had written. I looked over at my desk. I think I could handle her for a couple of hours. There wasn't too much that she could hurt in the apartment, the only thing I could think of was locked up in my desk, down here.

"She can stay here. But…wait here." I told Bella, running up to our room and digging through my dresser drawers for where I'd hidden it. There it was. I took the object back down to where Bella and Adele were. Hopefully, Bella wouldn't blow up with Adele around.

"Here. I won't let you go without it. I already have my number, Emmett's, Rose's, Jasper's, Alice's, and your parents stored in it." I said, holding it out to her.

She looked at the phone in my hand to my face, and back down at the phone again. I smiled hopefully, and glanced over at Adele.

**Bella's POV**

Of course, he _had _to get me an _Iphone _to replace my old phone. I thought about just walking out of the apartment without taking it, but, that wouldn't be nice, and it would hurt his feelings. I couldn't do that. And, he'd brought Adele to me a few days early. I owed him. So, I rolled my eyes and put it in the messenger bag I had slung over my shoulder.

_Only because I love you. _I thought, but didn't say as I walked over to Adele.

_"I'll be back soon. Be good for Eddie." _I told her in sign language. She nodded, picking up one of crayons that was in a box next to her, and scribbling in the Hello Kitty coloring book. I went over to Edward again, kissed him on the cheek, and left.

As I rode down the elevator, a thought struck me. Edward was a piano teacher. Granted, he mainly taught for very rich parents who's children had private tutors, but still. How could he afford to live here, and give me such expensive gifts? Offer to pay to fly my mom and Step dad up to New York, just to drop off my daughter? I'd would have to ask him about it. It just didn't make sense.

**Edward's** **POV**

"Who's this?" My next student, Dora, asked. She was sixteen and I'd been teaching her for a year. I liked her. She was always so…happy. It was contagious. She also had this thing for dying her hair all sorts of weird colors. So far I'd seen her with platinum blonde, carrot orange, violet, dark blue; almost black…the list went on and on. But, her favorite was bubble gum pink. It's what it was today. Dora also like to talk while she played. She was one of the few that I allowed to, she was good enough that she could play and talk at the same time.

"This is Adele, my girlfriend's daughter. Adele, this is my friend, Dora." I said, looking between the two. Adele looked up and waved quickly before going back to her coloring, with a shy look on her little face. Dora smiled and started on the piece that she'd been working on for the last week.

"So. I met a guy." She started.

"That's a D chord, not E." I corrected. "Okay…so? What's his name?" I asked, as she went back and played the right chord before answering.

"Lucas." I smiled.

"How did you meet him?" I prompted her.

"His family moved into the floor below me." She said. "he's two years older than me. Now, tell me about your girlfriend! You didn't tell me you started dating anyone." She said, changing the subject. Dora liked to talk, but only for so long, at least about herself.

* * *

When Dora left, it was 3:30, and I had the rest of the day off.

"I'm hungry." Adele said, although, it came out more like, "I'm hungee." It was adorable. I lifted her down from the chair she had been sitting in and set her on her feet, then took her hand and lead her into the kitchen.

"Well…I have animal crackers?" I suggested, holding up one of the little boxes of them. She shook her head, her braids flying.

"Yogurt?" she asked hopefully. That I could do.

"Okay. Go sit down at the table." I told her, opening the fridge and getting out a carton of strawberry yogurt for her.

Letting a two year old, even an insanely smart one, fed herself yogurt is an extremely _bad _idea, believe me.

"Uh…" I said, running my hand through my hair. Adele looked down at herself and back up at me.

"Yucky." She whimpered, holding her hands away from her body. Like that would really help, it was all over her face and clothes too. I stood up, and grabbed my camera off the counter. I snapped a picture of her. That would go on my fridge, right next to first picture I'd taken of Bella.

"Bath." She said, looking like she was about to cry. Her face looked just like Bella's when she was upset.

"Okay. Okay, lets get you upstairs." I agreed, helping her out of the chair and leading her up the stairs. I started the water for her bath in my bathroom. She looked at it while I pulled her shirt over her head.

"Bubbles." She commanded. I laughed, and squeezed some shampoo under the faucet. I let her play while I tried to figure out what to dress her in, then, I heard the door slam. I poked my head out of the bathroom and yelled,

"We're up here, Bells." A minute later, Bella came into the bathroom.

"Mommy!" Adele yelled while she splashed. Bella looked at me with an eye brow raised, giving me a look that said, _What did you do?_

"Yogurt." I explained. "Help?" I held out the little suitcase to her. Bella laughed and rolled her eyes, taking it and setting it down on the counter.

"Okay." She whispered, pulling out a long sleeved, blue dress. I grinned, loving the sound of her voice.

"I love you." I told her, kissing her forehead on my way out of the bathroom.

**Bella's POV**

_I love you too, _I thought but didn't say as he walked out.

* * *

**Okay, so...this was basically just a fun chapter, getting to know our characters a littl bit better, particularlly Adele. Dora isn't going to be very important. I felt like I was making it seem like Edward didn't have a life apart from Bella, so I decided to add at least one othe friend that wasn't in Twilight. (which, I don't own!!)**

**And, I modeled her after Nymphadora Tonks Lupin, from the Harry Potter series. I can't believe she died!!! ='(**

**By the way, I have never seen the end of Lion King Two. The little girl I babysit will watch the first thirty minutes of it over and over again, but I haven't seen the end!!! Can someone tell me what happens? Lol. **

**So, I had a reviewer wondering if it was realistic (not the exact words, of course) to have Adele be talking this well, and be able to understand sign language so well at an age where she could barely talk. I'm not mad at you for asking, in fact I'm glad you did!! Here's the explanation, because I'm sure that this reviewer wasn't the only person wondering about it. **

**Kids all devolp at different speeds. It not...normal, exactly, for a child to be able to talk that well, that early. However, it's not un-heard of. Aiden, (the littly girl I babysit) is going to be three in April, but she's been talking in ful, sensical (is that a word?) sentences since she was around...26 months old. (two years and two months.) And, for that matter, my baby sister started walking when she was 9 months old. **

**As for the signing, it's actaully quite common, in babies that have been taught since birth, for them to be able to understand sign language, and speak a little of it, before they can actually talk. And, it can encourage early speech.**

**Okay. So, I'm NOT going to be changing the name of the story. It was just a thought I wanted to see what y'all thought of. **

**Thanks sooooo much for all those reviews!!!! Yay!!!!! So, now...it's time to review again!!! yay!!! **

**Random tidbits for the day because I'm BORED!!!-**

**My mom's family has really weak wrists, naturally. My uncle Jay can't even scoop ice cream, if it's solid enough. And, right now, mine are hurting!!!**

**According to my good friend Clay, I'm awesome =) **

**My cousin, Jake, is three years younger than I am, but we're so close that we could be twins. So, at some family gathering a few months ago, we were off in another room, talking by ourselves. We were sitting on a couch, and I had my feet in his lap. So, my other cousin, Nate, who's 5, comes in, acting real shy. Finally, he blurts out, **

**"Are you two dating?" LOL. So, of course, me and Jake both start choking, and I manage to yell, "NO!" but that seems to settle it for Nate. He goes running out into the living room, where everyone else was and YELLS "DANI AND JAKE ARE DATING!!"**

**So, it the family joke now that whenever me and Jake see each other, we greet each other with a, "Hi, boyfriend!!" (or girlfriend for jake, obviously.) It's hilarious. **

**So, now that I've bored you in my attempt to free myself of my boredom, good bye =) don't forget to review!!**


	15. Chapter 15

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A little short but and not my best, but...here it is.

* * *

Bella's POV

The rest of the week passed too quickly. Way too quickly. Edward learned not to let Adele feed herself anything too messy, such as yogurt, or pudding, or applesauce, and I learned that Adele's favorite movie was Monster's Inc. I'd also been steadily talking a little more every day, although they words remained simple. Now, it was 5:00 am, and I had my pillow over my head.

"Bell-laa!!" Edward whined. He sounded a lot like Alice. "Come on. Get up, you're already awake!" He shook me again. I didn't get up.

"Do you want me to call Alice?" He threatened. I shot up into a sitting position. Edward had already turned the lights on, and he was fully dressed in a pair of holey, paint-splattered jeans, and a long sleeved, black shirt. His hair looked the same as always, very, very messy. He was smiling evilly, phone in hand.

"You wouldn't." I said quietly. Talking felt good. It was great, not having to rely so much on pens and paper, or how much sign language the person I was talking to knew. His smile changed into my favorite crooked one when I spoke.

"I would." He said, beginning to dial the number. I shook my head, and snatched the phone out of his hands. He laughed at the glare I was sending him. How in the world could he be so cheerful this early?

"Get dressed, I'm going to go and help Adele." He said, getting off the bed and leaving the room. I smirked. Adele had gotten my hate of waking up early, he would probably have as much trouble getting her ready to go as he did with me. More, actually. I sighed and rolled out of bed. We were going to be catching the 7:35 flight to Seattle this morning, with Rose and Emmett, then driving from Seattle to the small, rainy town of Forks. We were all going to attempt to squeeze into the small, two bed and one bath house that my dad still lived in, but if it didn't work, Edward, Adele and I were going to stay down in La Push with the Blacks, Jacob and Billy. They had a little more room than my dad did, and they were like family. They would be spending Christmas with my family as well.

We had it all figured out.

I got dressed in a pair of pink track pants, (usually, I hated pink, but these weren't so bad…and most of my other clothes were in my duffel bags…) and a dark green sweat shirt. I was pulling on my tennis shoes when the door opened and Edward poked his head in. He came inside, carrying Adele who was already asleep again. She was dressed in a pair of jeans with blue hearts on the back pockets, and a navy blue hoodie. Her hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail and her feet were bare.

"She's not really awake. The only thing she said was 'no shoes.'" I nodded. I didn't really blame her. I didn't feel like putting shoes on either. I chewed on my lip…if I spoke it, it would be the longest speech I'd made in three years. I didn't really feel like writing, and I don't think Edward knew enough sign language…

"She has to have shoes on when we leave." I finally said, very quietly. I couldn't say why…but although I liked to talk, and it felt good to talk, it also made me feel a little afraid. I wasn't sure why. All I knew was that I'd have to get over it.

Edward nodded, smiling to himself. He laid Adele down on the bed, very gently, then stood in front of me, in between my legs. He tilted my head up and kissed my forehead, then my eyelids, my nose, and finally, my lips.

"I'm _so _proud of you." He said in a quiet voice, running his fingers through my hair. "You're trying so hard to talk again, and doing it so well, even after everything that's happened to you."

Wow. This really _did _mean a lot to him. I smiled up at him, and even more to myself. This meant that I would have to work even harder to be able to talk all the time.

Then, my phone buzzed on the bed beside me. Both Edward and I groaned as I reached over and grabbed it, and Adele stirred with a little whimper.

_"We're waiting outside, Bells." _The text from Emmett said. I showed it to Edward, and he nodded. He pulled on his coat while I went into Adele room and found a pair of little pink bunny slippers. Those would work. Then I grabbed the black knitted hat and her big, gold colored jacket and ran back into Edward's room, carrying her back pack. I had to hope that it had everything it for the plane ride. I put the slippers, hat, and jacket on Adele, pulled on my own jacket, and scooped her up, with her backpack over my shoulder, as well as my own messenger style bag. She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head down on my shoulder. With my free hand I grabbed one of Adele's suitcases. I looked up, and laughed softly. There was Edward, making his way down the stairs with both of my bags slung over his shoulder, his laptop case over the other, and dragged his own large rolling suitcase with his other hand.

"Got it all?" I asked as I followed him. We made it to the bottom of the stairs without and injuries and he turned around to roll his eyes at me.

I had to laugh again. He had the envelope with all of our plane tickets in his mouth. He grumbled something unintelligible before he trudged down the hall and then was defeated by the door. I opened it for him, with difficulty. I waited, upper arms burning from the weight of all Adele and all our things while he set his suitcase against the wall and locked the door to the apartment.

Rose stared at us, open mouthed as we finally got out to the front of the building.

"We're going to have to take two taxis." She said, while Emmett laughed and took Adele from me, as well as one of my duffel bags from Edward. She was already asleep again. Rose and I both stuck our hands out, to hail a taxi from the few that were roaming the quiet streets. In a matter of minutes, we had two sitting at the curb as we all started to load our luggage into the trunks.

* * *

Before too long, we were all sitting on the plane, waiting to take off. Adele was bouncing in her seat, she liked plane rides. I was in the middle, and Edward was in the aisle seat. He had pulled my hand into his lap and was playing with my fingers while we waited. Emmett and Rose were in front of us, bickering over what movie they were going to watch on Rose's laptop. Me? I was ready to go back to sleep. I covered my mouth with my hand as I yawned for the fifth time in three minutes.

"Bella, go to sleep. I can handle Adele." Edward said quietly, just to me.

_"Yogurt." _I teasingly reminded him. He shook his head and laughed softly.

"Come on, I've learned a lot since then. And Emmett and Rose and right there. Go to sleep." He said in a commanding tone. I winced, biting my lip, hearing Brandon use the same tone on several occasions. I turned away from Edward and looked out the window, pulling my hand away from Edward and putting it into my pocket.

**Edward's POV**

I was confused. What did I do? What did I say? I could feel my shoulders droop and I ran my hand through my hair, messing up my attempts to tame it before we left this morning. At least I understood the main thing behind it this time. I must've done something that reminded her of Brandon. I bit my tongue, not even liking to think his name. Well, only one thing to do. I reached over and carefully, slowly brought her hand back towards, this time lacing my fingers through hers.

"Hey now. Don't do this, Bells, don't shut me out. Tell me what I did wrong. Please? Let me fix it." I said in a whisper. Adele looked at us for a minute, but then went back to looking out the window. Bella sighed and spoke. I was expecting her to write it, but I wasn't complaining.

"He always told me what to do, in the same voice. Like I didn't have a choice." She whispered. It was the longest speech she'd ever said to me, and despite the subject, I felt like kissing her, I was so happy that she was talking again, so quickly.

"I'm sorry." I told her, restraining myself to kissing her forehead, even if I did linger for a little too long. "I didn't mean to. I'll try not to anymore, I promise." I said seriously. Bella didn't answer as the plane turned towards the runway and turned her head away from me, checking on Adele. But, she didn't pull her hand away again, so I knew that, for the most part, I was forgiven.

**Bella's POV**

I was quiet for the rest of the plane ride. I was quiet while we all grabbed our luggage and Emmett got the keys to the rental car. Not because I was angry, or thinking about Brandon, or anything like that. Just because I had nothing to say. I've learned a lot in my three years without talking. One important thing was that you hear more when you simply listen. Another was that not all silences are uncomfortable.

There wasn't a car seat in the jeep that Emmett had rented, so I held Adele on my lap for the drive from the airport in Seattle to the little rainy town of Forks, that I called home. I was excited to be home again. True, this was where some of my worst memories had been, but then, I'd also had a lot of good ones too. Emmett was singing along to the radio, very badly. Everyone was laughing, except me. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts and memories to really pay attention to what was going on. All I knew was that he sounded horrible.

Adele fell asleep on my lap as we drove through Port Angeles. I laughed as Emmett pointed out the spot where he fell off a dock when he was fifteen, taking Rose down with him.

And then…There it was. The old white, three bedroom, one bathroom house. There was a Volkswagen Rabbit in the driveway, and the screen door was open. It wasn't raining, but the sky was clouded over, not a spot of sunshine breaking through. I grinned at the sight of the car. Jacob and Billy were here. I remembered sitting in the Black's garage and watching Jake build the car-his pride and joy. Emmett put the jeep in park and I opened the door.

"Here, I'll take her." Edward said. I handed Adele to him, then carefully hopped down. I couldn't wait to get inside and see Charlie, Jake, and Billy. I'd missed them so much. Emmett and Rose were right behind me, Edward coming a little slower, carrying the still sleeping Adele. Jacob came bounding down the front steps of the porch, his shiny black hair pulled back into his regular pony tail, taller than ever. He was eighteen now, a year younger than me.

"Bella!" he roared, picking me up and spinning me around while he hugged me so tight that I couldn't breath. Classic Jake. Without thinking about it I gasped out,

"Can't…breathe!" louder than I'd meant to. It went dead quiet in the yard and Jake almost dropped me.

"Holy shit. Bella…you spoke!" Jake yelled after getting over the initial shock. HE carefully set me back on my feet. I could feel myself blush as I felt every pair of eyes on me. Charlie and Billy had heard me too. Edward was smiling _my _crooked smile, Adele was rubbing her eyes sleepily, Emmett's mouth was hanging open…everyone except Adele and Edward were stunned.

"Bella?" My dad finally asked, walking down the steps and stopping in front of me.

"You're talking again?" Rose asked from behind me. I felt like hiding behind Jake. Instead, I said, very quietly,

"I'm trying."

* * *

**Whenever I write "Port Angeles" I want to write "Port Isabel." It's very annoying. huh**

**Sorry it took a little longer than usual!!! It's Spring Break this week and I've been doing stuff all week, for the first time in my life. Unfortunately, it doesn't involve going to the rodeo *sigh* My cousin invited me to go with him to see Trace Adkins, but I had a softball game and couldn't go. I wasn't to sad about it at the time, but...then, most of my friends ended up going to see him too....and kept telling me how great it was. UGH!!!!!! Oh well. Rant over.**

**So, earlier, I went off on a monolouge about talking to myself...Irony, anyone? **

**Alright. I'm done rambling now, I think. Now, my lovely reviews!!**

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**Yay for lots of reviews!!!!! I love you guys!!!! Thanks so much!!! Keep them coming!!**

**Oh, yeah. Hey, why don't y'all check out my community? You might find some stories you like =)**


	16. Chapter 16: My Sunshine

**Here we go!!! This chapter isn't quite as...cheery as the a lot of the recent ones. There's a lot more seriousness in here. I feel like I've been making things too easy, that Bella's been getting over things too smoothly, and that Edward's been taking everythign a little too well. So...I'm fixing it. Bear with me!!! There will be a happy ending for Bella, Edward and Adele, somewhere in the future. I promise =)**

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* * *

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Bella's POV

I was strongly regretting speaking out loud in front of everyone. Now, they were all expecting me to automatically go back to talking all the time, like I was perfectly normal again. I wasn't. And some part of me knew that I never really would be. That "normal" would be redefined for me, because I could never go back to the way of life I'd lead before. It was something that I'd needed to realize, but that made me get that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. The one that made you just want to crawl in bed and hide under the covers all day, or get totally lost in book so that you won't have to think about your own life. But, I could do neither of those things. I was supposed to be all smiles now, and warmly greet my dad and Jake and Billy. So, I put on a fake smile and hugged my dad, then Billy, and waved Edward forward to introduce him.

Charlie was stern, Billy was nice, and Jake…

First, he shook Edward's hand way too tightly.

Second, he _growled, _yes, growled, at him.

Third he told Edward, "I swear to God, if you hurt her I'll hunt you down and kill you, like I never got to kill that last bastard she dated before."

I covered Adele ears with my hands and sent a glare towards Jake.

* * *

The next day, Jake was playing with Adele down in the yard. It was adorable, to tell the truth. Jake was so big…and Adele was so small. He was down on his hands and knees, Adele on his back, kicking him in the side to make her horse go faster, and Jake was grinning and bearing it. Edward and I were up in my old room. I could see the others from the window in my room, playing under the branches of the tree that was planted when I was born. Emmett had one too. To some people, they were just trees. But me, it was more. My tree was important. Charlie and Mom had carefully carved my full name and birth-date into the trunk when they planted it out in the front yard. Every birthday after that, dad had carved my age into the bark of the tree, the same with Emmett's on his.

When I came home from the hospital after Adele was born, I carved her name and date into the tree, and Emmett had planted one for her a little ways from mine.

_"Here, I'll hold her." Emmett told me, holding out his arms. I nodded and carefully placed my beautiful baby girl in his arms. We were standing outside on a rare sunny day in Forks, in front of Adele's baby tree. I had Emmett's pocket knife in my hand. I knelt down in front of it, and, being carefully not to hurt the tree, began carving "Adele Evangeline Swan 7/14/2003"_

_When I stood up again, I was crying. I didn't want it to be this way, I thought. I wish that this all had turned out differently. _

I felt tears prick my eyes as I remembered that day. I had wanted Adele. I loved her more than I could imagine. But…I couldn't help but wish that she'd had a real _father _there that day. My parents may be divorced now, but when my name was first carved, they weren't. and I still had them both, had known both a mother's and a father's love.

But…Adele hadn't. Her biological "father" was dead, and even he was alive, I wouldn't let him anywhere near her. Not that I'd been around much myself…I knew that I'd been a terrible mommy for the past couple years. But I was going to fix that.

But there was nothing I could do about her dad. Nothing at all. She had Emmett, and Phil, but they weren't really her dad, no matter how much they loved her.

"Hey…are you okay?" Edward asked, coming up behind me and snaking his arms around my waist. Without really thinking about what would happen if he thought something was up, I shook my head. Then, I thought about it. Know, he would ask what was wrong. And I couldn't tell him what I was thinking about. No way. As predicted, he kissed the top of my head.

"What's the matter?" I closed my eyes and shook my head, seeing no other way out.

**Edward's** **POV**

Something had been bothering Bella since late last night. Now, she admitted that something was up, but she wouldn't tell me what exactly that was. Fine. I could deal with that. For all I knew, she was PMSing. I wasn't going to pry.

"Do you want to be alone for awhile?" I asked, wondering what I was supposed to do know. I wasn't an expert when it came to dealing with women. Bella nodded, still staring out the window.

"Okay." I told her. I slowly let go of her, reluctantly. "I'll come and check on you in a little while, okay?" She just nodded again, wrapping her arms around herself. I didn't like leaving her alone like this. She looked so vulnerable, so alone, so…young. I made my legs carry me out of the room, and made my arms quietly shut the door. I walked down the stairs and out the back door, into the yard with Jacob, Emmett, Rose, and little Adele with my hands in the pockets of my jeans. I sat criss cross with my back against one of the trees, too caught up in worrying about Bella to join in with the others, who were playing hide and seek now. I looked up at the bedroom window, and to my surprise, Bella was still standing there, her eyes far away. As I watched, her face twisted, and I could see her body shake with a violent sob. She covered her mouth with her hand as she began to cry. It broke my heart, seeing her like that, and knowing that she didn't want me with her. She sat down on the floor, making me lose sight of her. I stood up. I didn't care that she'd told me that she wanted to be alone for awhile. I couldn't let her be alone right now. I was stopped by a large, russet colored hand.

"No." Jake said in a quiet, calm voice. "Not this time. Something tells me that she doesn't need you right now." With that, he walked through the back door and up to Bella. My Bella.

_He's right. Maybe she needs to talk to someone other than me. Someone she knows a little better. _I told myself, feeling completely worthless. I felt a little hand tugging on my own, and I looked down at Adele, who was looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

"Will you play?" she asked in her sweet, baby angel voice. I just shook my head at her. Her shoulders drooped.

"Please? You can count…"

"I said no!" I said, in a sharper tone than I had meant. I instantly felt guilty as her lower lip started to quiver and her eyes filled up with tears. She let go of my hand, turned, and ran away from me.

"Adele! I'm…I'm sorry." I said, but she just kept running, into Rose's arms. Rose looked at me with a confused look on her face.

"I'm going to go for a walk." I said, loud enough that Rose would hear. Then, I turned and walked down the drive way, not sure of where I was going. I felt like I was running away again, but I knew that it was for the better good of everyone if I was just on my own, away from everyone else until I got my thoughts sorted out. That way, I wouldn't make anyone else cry.

**Bella's** **POV**

I couldn't really explain why exactly I was crying, because there wasn't really one thing behind it. It was just…everything, piled up, hitting me all at once. And I was confused…and I couldn't talk to Edward about this. No, too much of the confusion was because of him, I couldn't talk to him about himself. I sat on the floor, against the wall, and cried. I was doing that a lot lately. I hadn't cried this much since my hormones were off the charts because of me being pregnant. I heard the pad of bare feet on the wooden floor, and the thud as someone sat down next to me. From the heat coming off the person, I knew it was Jake. He'd always had an abnormally high temperature for a human, astounding the doctors at Fork's hospital. Jake put one hot arm around me, pulling me closer to him as I cried. With his other hand, he smoothed my hair down.

"Come on now. What's the matter? Did you and Edward have a fight or something? He looked pretty…what's the right word? Dejected?" Great. I'd managed to hurt Edward. I needed something to write with, and I needed to stop crying so hard, at least to stop sobbing. I stood up and looked around. There. Sitting in the middle of my bed was the note pad and pen that I'd used this morning.

_"So much is wrong." _I wrote. _"I'm not sure if you want to listen…read it all." _He was reading over my shoulder and tears dripped onto the paper. I wiped my eyes angrily. I hated to cry. I heard Jake let his breath out in a huff, then he said,

"I want to know what's bothering my best friend, Bella. I don't care if it takes forever for you to write." Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. So, I wrote, Jake reading over my shoulder.

_"For one…everyone expects me to talk all the time now. I know that I talked. I know I can do it. It's just…I still don't really feel all that comfortable talking all the time. I haven't for so long. And nobody seems to understand." _That was all I could write before Jake was hugging me. I could barely breathe.

"Oh, Bella…I'm sorry. That one's kind of my fault, isn't it? I'm so sorry. God…I promise, I'll understand when you don't talk, okay? And I'll talk to the others for you too." He said, and from his voice I knew that he was kicking himself on the inside.

_"Thank you, Jake. Now, don't beat yourself up about this." _I wrote when he let me go, and I kissed his cheek. He smiled a little, and ruffled my hair.

"Okay. That can't be it." He said, knowing me well. I nodded.

_"You're right, there's more. What's next…let's see. Part of it is just being back here. I love being here, being home, and I love being with you, and Charlie, and Billy, but…all the memories get to me, you know? There are so many little reminders that I just can't run away from. I hate it. I hate that the things that are supposed to comfort me don't." _I wrote, quickly, feeling more angry than sad. And frustrated as well. Jake sighed, rubbing my shoulder.

"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do about that one, Bella Hon. I wish there was, and I wish that I could get my hands on that bastard who did this to you." His voice was hard and cold, as it always was when he talked about…well, about _it. _Jake had taken the news hard. Harder than Emmett, harder than my dad. I think it might've been because he was the only one who'd sided with me, trusting my judgment on Brandon. Emmett and my dad…they'd heard the rumors about him, they saw right through his nice guy act. Jacob hadn't. And he hated himself every time he was reminded of that. He blamed himself, a lot. I knew that there was nothing that I could do or say to make him feel better and stop blaming himself, because I'd already tried it all, so I just let that one lie and moved on, hating to see my best friend hurt like that.

_"And then…there's Edward. It's like…I'm always hurting him. Whenever he does the littlest, tiniest thing that remind me of anything related Brandon, I'm push him away. And I don't want to push him away. I love him, and I can't even tell him that. And I don't think that he understand that I'm never really going to be…whole, ever again. That there will always be things that bring up bad memories, that I'm always going to have bad dreams, that there's always going to be a little piece of the hurt that won't heal. Some…some wounds never heal, at least, not completely. And…I'm always afraid that one day, it'll finally be too much for him, and that he'll leave me." _I paused for a minute, then wrote with a small smile, _"Wow, that sounded cheesy…" _Jake laughed.

"Yeah, just a little. Kind of like you were taking a page from a book, but…you've always been kind of like that. And, I understand what you mean." Jake sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "And, I hate to say this, but I can't find anything wrong with Edward. I've been picking his every move, his every word apart since you guys got here, and I can't find anything. He seems like a good guy…like he's perfect for you." He finished. Was I imagining the hint of rejection in his voice? Probably.

_"Are you ready for the next thing?" _I wrote. Jake nodded.

_"This one's the most complicated one…it's like, I'm…I'm not sure what emotion it is, that Adele doesn't have a dad. A real dad. It doesn't matter that he wouldn't be her biological father. It's just…I want her to know what it's like to have a dad, not a few uncles and her grandfathers. But, it's not like I can just ask someone…ask Edward… to be her dad." _I wrote, then looked up at Jake. This time, I know I saw jealousy and hurt in his eyes, maybe even sadness. I wondered why, but he didn't let me ask.

"I think…I think he _wants _to be allowed to fill the role." Jake said. To anyone except me, his best friend of fourteen years, he would've sounded normal. But, I knew better. He _was _sad, I realized.

"I see the way he looks at her, looks at you. It's pure…love. Like he's ready to throw himself in the path of a bullet for either of you. Like…" He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence. I wondered what he would've said, I certainly couldn't figure it out.

"Are you okay now?" he asked, after clearing his throat. I nodded, and he smiled.

"I think you need a nap now, right?" he asked in a knowing way. I always needed a nap after something like that. I nodded in a resigned manner. He laughed and before I knew it, he had scooped me up into his arms, grabbed a blanket, and was carrying me outside. He set my down by my tree and laid the blanket down.

"It's sunny today. You should enjoy it while you can." He said in answer to my questioning look. I nodded, feeling drained, and lay down on the quilt and closed my eyes. He came and sat next to me, leaning against the tree, the Bella tree, as he'd called it when we were little. I heard Emmett and Adele laughing, Emmett sounding like a bear and Adele like an angel child.

"You are my Sunshine,  
My only Sunshine.  
You make me happy when skies are grey.  
You'll never know just  
How much I love you.  
Oh please don't take my Sunshine away." Jake sang softly as I started to drift to sleep. It seemed wrong to me. _He _was _my _Sunshine, not the other way around. I should be singing the song.

Then, I was asleep.

**Jake's** **POV**

I looked down at Bella, who was now asleep. We'd been best friends since I was four, and I'd _loved_ her since I was thirteen. I should've told her years ago, but how was I supposed to do that? Just blurt out one day, "Oh, and one last thing before I go. I happen to love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Okay, I really have to go now, it's almost time for dinner. Bye Bells!"

Of course not.

And now…here I was, eighteen years old, watching her being swept away by someone else. Maybe, if I had gotten the guts up years ago to tell her…things would be different.

But, I would never know now, would I?

"I'll always be there, Bells. I promise. I'll always be waiting in the wings, just in case…" I told her, even though she couldn't hear me. I looked over to where Emmett was playing tag with Adele. I loved Adele. I was there when she was born. I had helped get her to the hospital. I had…forgotten to grab Bella's hospital suitcase on the way out the door. Oh well, we all laughed about that one now. I loved Adele. I wanted to have the right to be called her dad, but I would never have it. I would always be around though, I knew that much. I'd always be there, in the background, waiting…maybe, maybe someday, Bella would want me. But, until that day came, I wouldn't interfere. Fighting for her…it would only hurt her, and I couldn't do that. I could never hurt my Sunshine.

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**I'll admit it, I'm a Jacob lover. I know that there are a lot of Jake haters out there, and if any of you guys are reading this story, I'm sorry. But, never fear. Like he said, he's not going to interfere. **

**Personally, I'd much rather have a werewolf than a vampire =)**

**Anyways...I'm struggling to be patient about Bella's speaking. She keeps telling me that it's not time yet...but it's so hard to write about her signing. It's hard. For one thing, there aren't signs for specific names, like Emmett, or Adele, or any of that. So, when I'm writing what she's signing...it's really not all that realistic. Anyways. **

**So. I saw The Knowing yesterday. It was sooo good!!! I highly suggest it, even though there were several parts where I got kinda freaked out. But hey, I freak out easily. And i'll admit that I slept with a light on last night, with all my stuffed animals piled in my bed with me. LOL. **

**Does anyone have any suggestions for like....a one shot that I could try to write? If so, please tell me!! **

**Now....review!**


	17. Chapter 17:Oops, I screwed up again

**Need a song to make you think? I've got one for you. It's called "What Would You Say" by Trailer Choir. Yes, it's a Country-ish song, but it's really, really good, and I suggest you listen to it.**

**So...we're almost at 300 hundred reviews!!! I'm super excited =)**

**Okay. So, I thought that this was a LOT longer when I was writing it...but I guess not. =( Oh well. It's a good chapter, I think. Read.**

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**Edward's POV**

So, there I was, wandering around the small town of Forks, with no idea where I was. The sun was peeking out from behind a few clouds. From what Bella had told me, this was a rare thing here. I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets, and watched the sidewalk as I walked. I just wasn't sure what to do anymore. A guy can only do so much. I love Bella. I know I do, but…what if I'm not the person for her? What if she needs someone different than me? I just want her to be happy. There was a turn in the sidewalk, and I followed it, not really caring. I kept walking, considering the different options had until suddenly, the sidewalk ended, leading onto a dirt path. I looked up, and found that I was in a cemetery.

Personally, I like cemeteries. They aren't creepy, they're peaceful.

This one was small. Much smaller than any I'd seen before. One of the first headstones that I read made me stop in my tracks.

Calvin Timothy Carter

2.24.1990-2.28.1990

The little boy had only lived for four days. If that's not sad…nothing is. It made me think of Esme's baby, who hadn't even been named before he died. I shook my head and walked on, not wanting to think about that funeral. I glanced at the headstones I passed. Most of the people buried here had lived long lives. As I walked by a stone I briefly read it, then stopped in front of it and read it again.

Brandon Liam King

12.02.1985-10.05.2002

Loved son

I'd found Brandon. I stood there in front of the headstone, just staring at it. I hadn't even been looking for it, and yet I'd found it.

"Why?" I asked quietly, not even really sure why I was doing this, talking to a grave. "Why'd you do that to Bella? You had her, and you destroyed her." I said. I should've been feeling like a complete idiot, but I didn't. I really felt like I was talking to someone else. I stood there for a few more minutes, then turned and left, making my way back to Bella's house.

* * *

I walked back up the driveway, gravel crunching beneath my feet. I saw Rose holding Adele, but I couldn't see Emmett…then I spotted him, trying to get a kite out of a tree. I was amazed that the branch he was standing on supported his weight. I smiled as I looked at Adele's worried expression. Then, my eyes found Bella. She was asleep on a blanket, her head in Jacob's lap. I felt a stab of jealousy as I looked at them.

_What if Jake's better for her? _I wondered. He was watching her sleep, running his fingers through her beautiful hair. I didn't realize I'd stopped walking until Jake looked up and quickly, gently, untangled his hand from Bella's hair. I shook my head, to clear my thoughts, and walked over to them, sitting down on the other side of Bella.

"Is she okay now?" I asked, trying not to glare at Jake. Sure, he was her best friend, but I was her boyfriend. Jake sighed.

"I'm not sure. She seemed a little better." He said, glancing down at her. I bit my lip and pushed back the urge to roll my eyes.

"Did she tell you what was wrong?" I asked, trying very hard not to grit my teeth. Jake nodded.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath and fished in his pocket for something. "She'll probably be mad at me for this later…but I think you should know. So, here." He told me, holding out a page out of a notebook to me. I took it, and just stared at for a minute. I wasn't really sure if I should read it, I wanted to so bad, but…if she knew that I had, she would be so angry at me, and Jake. So, I did the hard thing. I shook my head, and gave it back to Jake. It wasn't until then that I saw that Jake was watching me, and when I gave the sheet of paper back, he smiled in a relieved way.

"Was that a test?" I asked, a little amused. Jake nodded.

"_He _would've just read it, without a second thought." He told me, looking a little angry.

"I almost did." I admitted sheepishly. Jake shrugged, like it didn't matter.

"But, you didn't, and that's what matters to me." he said, stuffing the paper back in his pocket, then carefully sliding out from under Bella, placing her head on the blanket instead of in his lap.

"Well. I'm going to go and play with Adele for awhile. I haven't seen her in months." He said before walking away, towards the little group on the other side of the yard. I stayed, and watched Bella while she slept.

**Bella's POV**

It was Christmas Eve. There was a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the living room, and everyone was putting ornaments on it at random. The Blacks were here, as usual. Billy's daughters were both with their own families this year, but Billy and Jacob were here, anyways. Adele was having a great time, but her energy was fading fast. It was already eleven.

"Okay, set out the cookies and carrots, then it's time for bed." Edward said to Adele, yawning himself. She tried to protest, but gave it up and set the little plate out on the table. She was already in her PJs. Tonight she was wearing another nightgown, this time it had Cinderella on it, and it was blue. _Someday, I'm going to take her to Disney World._ I thought. _Sure, when that rich uncle dies and leaves me all his money. Oh, wait, I don't have a rich uncle. _I thought, smiling to myself.

"Santa's going to come soon?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Jake smiled and scooped her up.

"Well, we don't know when he's going to come tonight. But, he won't come unless every little girl in the house is asleep." He told her, very seriously. She listened, wide-eyed, and nodded vigorously. She turned and looked down at me, seeing as she was in Jake's arms and he was around 6'5.

"I want to go to bed, Mommy." I smiled, and nodded as Jake set her down. She was wearing a pair of Bunny slippers on her feet, her favorites. I reached down to take her hand, but she shook her head.

"No. I want Eddie." She said, crossing her arms and pouting. I glanced up at Edward, and he was grinning from ear to ear, obviously happy. He bent down and picked her up.

"Let's go, Sweetie. Do you want a story?" he asked as he started up the stairs with her. She nodded, smiling and he turned and looked back down at me for a minute, smiling, before he disappeared around the corner, carrying her into the room that the three of us were sharing while we were here, my old bedroom. She had a small toddler bed at the foot of my bed.

"They are so cute!" Rose said to me, watching them as well. "He's so good with her…he'd make a great dad, huh?" I smiled, and nodded, turning around and putting another ornament on the tree.

**Edward's POV**

I set Adele down on her bed, the covers already pulled back. She pulled off her slippers and I helped her un-do the braid that her hair was in. Then, she lay down and grabbed her stuffed elephant and I pulled the blue Cinderella sheets over her. Cinderella was her favorite.

"Story." She demanded, looking up at me with an expectant look on her angel face. I smiled and sat down on the edge of me and Bella's bed.

"Okay, okay. Let's see, a story." I thought for a moment, trying to come up with something. I smiled.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl name Addie. It was Christmas Eve day and she was very, very excited…"

When I finished the "story" Adele was almost asleep. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she was just barely hanging on.

"Me and Mommy will be downstairs if you need anything." I told her in a soft voice, afraid that if I talked too loudly I would break her out of the sleepy state she was in. She nodded without opening her eyes and I got up off the bed. I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Night, Baby Girl." I said, and turned to leave the room. I was at the door, my hand on the light switch when she said, half asleep,

"I love you, Daddy."

I stopped, my hand falling to my side.

She'd called me Daddy.

I felt tears spring to my eyes as I looked back at her. She was asleep now, hanging on tightly to her stuffed elephant. I wonder what Bella would say, or write, or sign when and if I told her. I would hate saying good bye to this sweet little girl. I really didn't want to. I'd grown to love her like I would love a daughter. I already thought of her as my little girl, in spite of my warning thoughts.

I finally found the will to turn around again and turn out the lights, leaving the door open a crack behind me.

**Bella's POV**

When Edward came back down the stairs, he looked, if possible, even happier than he had before he'd taken Adele up. I was surprised to see that there were tears glistening in his eyes. I looked up into them, giving him a questioning look, he would understand.

"What's up, Ed? You look…" Emmett started. Edward just smiled and shrugged.

"She…She called me Daddy." He said in an awed voice. I stood there, stunned. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be happy, and tell him that was great, or if I should apologize. Suddenly, a large hand came down on my shoulder, and started pushing me towards the door, I looked behind me, and it was Jake. He was pushing Edward as well.

"You two need to talk about some things. Now, out. Take a walk. Here's a notebook, Bells, and your coats." He said, handing me a notebook and pencil, then my parka.

And then, me and Edward were standing on the porch. Fortunately, it wasn't snowing or raining, but it was still cold. I pulled my light blue parka on over my sweater, glad that I still had both my jeans and boots on.

"I think he's right, Bells." Edward said softly as I heard the lock on the front door click. I sighed and nodded. He took my hand and slipped it into his pocket with his.

"Should we go and sit somewhere to talk? Where we won't be over heard?" he asked me. I nodded, and followed him down the front porch steps. We walked through the neighborhood, and then stopped a couple of blocks away form my dad's house. There was a bench under a streetlight that looked like a good place to talk. He sat down on it, pulling me down with him. I let go of his hand and sat pulled my legs up under me, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him.

"So, Adele called me Daddy." He started off. I nodded, flipping open the notebook and starting to write.

_"And you're happy about that?" _Edward read over my shoulder and almost before I was finished he was talking.

"Without a doubt. I'm a little bit…apprehensive about what your reaction is, but…it made me happy. I-I kind of…no, I _want _to have that right." He said, turning his head and looking me in the eyes.

I wasn't expecting him to tell me that. I smiled and started to write again.

_"I'm glad you feel like that. I want you to be her Dad. I know that you won't ever be her biological father, but…that doesn't really matter, at least not to me." _He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. He was smiling.

"You realize that this means…we're really committed to each other, doesn't it?" He asked, like he already knew the answer, but was waiting to see what I thought about it.

_"Does that bother you?" _I asked. I didn't have a problem with being committed to Edward like this. I…I wanted to be with him, for the rest of my life. It scared me a little…no, a lot to think about saying that out loud, but, I found that I wasn't so scared right now. His smile widened as he looked down at me.

"No. Not at all." He told me, stooping down a little to kiss me. I kissed him back, but he was still careful to stay within my comfort zone. I pulled away a few minutes for air. He kissed my forehead, then dug in his pocket for something. He held out a key to me, flat on his palm.

"What is it?" I asked out loud. I hadn't spoken at all that day, I need to use my voice a little. Edward smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"A key to my apartment. It's yours, if you want it." He said casually. I gaped at him. He'd just asked me to move in with him. We'd been dating for less than three months. I bit my lip. Part of me wanted to say yes…but the rational part of my mind was telling me that it was too soon, to be careful. I stared at it, chewing on my lip.

"You don't have to answer tonight. Just…know that's I have it, whenever you decide you want it, okay?" he told me, putting it back in his pocket. I hoped that I hadn't hurt his feelings. I nodded, and he smiled down at me.

"I love you, Bella." He told me, standing up. "I guess we'd better get back, huh?" he said, holding out his hand to me as a snow flake landed on my nose. I grimaced as another hit my hand. Edward laughed.

"Don't worry. We'll be back home soon, we went get too much snow on us." Edward promised as I stood up and laced my fingers through his. I looked up at his face, and though he was smiling, I saw a trace of disappointment in his eyes. They looked a little duller than usual too, not quite at their usual vibrant shade of green. I didn't like it.

"I'm sorry." I told him. I was talking a lot more than I usually did, but if I had to talk to anyone, it would be Edward. I liked talking with him more than anyone else, even Jake.

"For what?" Edward asked, looking down at me as we walked.

"For not…not being ready to move in with you yet." I looked down at my shoes, watching out for a stray patch of ice that might send me sliding. It was quiet for a minute, then Edward said,

"You could have one of the guest bedrooms, as your room. It would save you a lot of money, since you practically live at my place anyways…I'm kind of lonely, when you're not around." He said quietly. I didn't look up as I spoke again.

"Edward…I'm just starting to get comfortable with French kissing. I…I'm not ready to _live _with you yet. I'm sorry." I said, almost whispering. We were walking up the driveway now. Edward stopped suddenly, letting go of my hand.

"Is that it?" he asked, his voice hurt. I was surprised, and my hand felt very empty. I stuffed it into my pocket.

"You think I just want sex? Bella…not every guy's like that. What have I _ever _done that made you think that?" I stood there, not sure of what to do. Before I could speak, not that I even knew what I would've said, Edward spoke again. He sounded, looked so…sad. And a little angry.

"I love you, Bella. Good night." And he turned, and walked up to the house. I followed, at a slower pace, stunned.

That night, Christmas Eve, he slept on the couch. I lay awake in my old room, in the dark, feeling very alone, despite Adele being feet away.

I've said it before, but it's worth repeating.

I'm great at screwing up my life.

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**So, there we go. Bella screws up again. I actually got a little mad at her while I wrote this. Well...Edward and Bella are in the middle of a fight on Christmas. How many people hate me? **

**But, that wasn't the only important thing in this chapter. THey finally talked to each other about Adele!!! yay!!**

**So...yeah. I don't have time for another fun-filled author's note here...so, just review!! Tell me what you think!! oh, and I have a new poll up on my page, so go and vote on it, please? It may or may not involve y'all listening to another song. **


	18. Chapter 18: Walk Down Memory Lane

**Here we go!! Warning, this is one of those heavier chapters that I enjoy writing so much. Now, read. **

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Bella's POV

"Mommy, Mommy, wake up!" A high-pitched voice yelled, right before a small body landed on my stomach. I grunted as the air was knocked out of me, and opened my eyes.

"Yay, you're awake!" Adele yelled before crawling off me and sliding off the bed. She ran to the door and opened it, running out into the hallway and banging on doors.

"Waaaake up!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. I looked at the clock. It was 6:15. I looked over at the empty spot next to me, wondering how I would fix this one. With a sigh, I rolled out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor. It would be warmer when I got downstairs. I looked up as I stretched, and to my surprise, Edward was standing in the doorway, not wearing a shirt.

"Someone's excited." He commented. I just nodded. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say, so I didn't say anything, just stared at him. After a minute of staring back at me, Edward walked into the room and rummaged in his suitcase. He stood up again a moment later, and pulled a tee shirt over his head.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, then bit my lip, hard after speaking, wondering what he would say. I leaned against the wall, and ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up even more, and looked down at the floor. I noticed that he had dark rings under his eyes. He probably hadn't gotten anymore sleep than I had, if even that much.

"We should probably head downstairs." Was all he said before he turned and walked back out.

Well, that went well.

I sighed, and sat back down on my bed. I looked around my old room, the walls covered in posters of movies that I liked, and of old pictures. You could barely see any of the actual wall beneath them all. I stood up again and walked closer to one of the walls, smiling. There was a picture of me and Emmett. I was fourteen, he was seventeen. I was sitting on his shoulders, grinning at the camera, as was Emmett. There was a picture I had taken right next to it, one of Rosalie and Emmett. It was of their first kiss, when he was sixteen and she was fifteen.

"Mommy, come on!" Adele said from behind me, making me jump. I'd forgotten where I was. I looked back at her, then turned and took her hand, following her down the stairs.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

I sat on the floor, Indian style, with Adele in my lap. Charlie was handing out presents, one for each of us "older kids" but as many for Adele as she wanted.

"Jake and Billy should be here soon, so…_try _to slow her down, Bella?" he asked me. I nodded, smiling a little bit. I could try, but I couldn't promise that I would succeed. He handed me a small, rectangle shaped present for me, and another, slightly larger box for Adele. She squealed and immediately started ripping the green wrapping paper off it. I felt my own package. From the shape, size, and weight of it, I guessed that it was a book. I heard a click, and then saw the flash of a camera and looked up, surprised. Edward had his camera in his hands, smiling.

"Gotcha." He told me, his eyes still a little sad. I saw what he was doing. He was acting like there was nothing wrong between us so that no one would corner us and A. interrogate us on what was wrong or, B. force us to work things out on our own again, like they had the night before. Plus, it was Christmas, we could at least act like we were happy, for everyone else's sake. Adele was almost finished getting the paper off her present, and I glanced at the sticker on mine first. It was from Rose. I smiled at her, then ripped the paper off it. It was a new edition of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. My own was so worn out that several pages were missing.

_"Thank you!" _I signed to her, then looked down at Adele. It was a puzzle, the picture on it was of a couple of cats. She in her own world, looking at it with a smile on her face. Edward took the chance and took a picture of her. Then, without any warning, Adele whirled around to look at me, not knowing that my face was so near her head. I gasped and tried to move, but it was too late. I tilted my head back as my nose started to bleed. I hadn't heard a crack, so I didn't think that it was broken, but it still hurt.

Well, that slowed Adele down. Several things happened at once. Rosalie reached forward and pulled Adele away from me, and onto her own lap. I think I heard a faint click, but I wasn't sure. Emmett stood up and dashed into the kitchen, coming back a minute later with a handful of paper napkins. Edward set his camera down and scooted closer to me as I tried to get it to stop bleeding.

"Do you think it's broken?" he asked in a slightly amused tone. I glared at him.

"No." I said, not having either of my hands free. And then, to make everything better, I heard the door slam and the sound of Billy's wheelchair. Then, I heard Jake start to laugh.

"Only you, Bella. Only you." He said, gasping for breath. Emmett joined him.

"Yeah, remember the Christmas you fell down the stairs and we spent the rest of the day in the emergency room?" Emmett said. He was in the perfect place…I dug my heel into his stomach, sending him a death glare. He yelped and stopped laughing. Jake, however, didn't.

"I remember that one! What about the one where she fell and broke her arm?" I smiled. I remembered that one too. Better than he did, apparently.

"No, _you _were giving me a piggy back ride and dropped me. I didn't fall." I said, just loud enough for him and Edward to hear me. That shut him up.

**.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,**

It was another ten minutes before my nose stopped bleeding. Adele had given me a shaky hug, crying.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!" She'd wailed, burying her face in my shoulder. Rose "awwwd" while I patted Adele's back. After a minute, she pulled away from me.

"Daddy." She said, walking over and plopping down in Edward's lap. His arms went around her, and he smiled, looking down at her. I snatched the camera from the spot on the couch above him and took a picture. He looked up and his eyes met mine. They were smiling, despite everything.

And so, the rest of the day went by, fairly normally for my family. Edward had given me a necklace, expensive from the looks of it. Adele loved her bear, and he dragged it off to a corner to play with it after lunch.

Now, it was dark again, and it was snowing. I had something that I wanted to do, and I wanted Edward with me. I pulled him aside and signed to him.

_"Let's go for a walk. There are things I want to see." _He nodded.

"What about Adele?" he asked, glancing over at her. She was showing Jake how to do her puzzle the right way. He would be fine with her. I shooed Edward and he rolled his eyes, but walked up the stairs to find his jacket. I scribbled a note to Jake.

_"Edward and I are going for a walk. Can you handle Adele for an hour, maybe a little longer?" _I gave it to him, pulling on my parka. He looked up at me, giving me a questioning look.

_"Not now."_ I signed to him. He nodded, Adele watching us.

"Alright. Go on." Jake said, looking back down at the puzzle at almost the same time as Adele. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped, turning my head to peer back at me. It was Edward, of course. He handed me my hat without a word, and I pulled it on.

We walked out the door and down the driveway without a word, not touching. After acting like nothing was wrong all day, this was a hard slap in the face. I walked in the opposite direction then we'd walked the night before, my hands in my pockets.

"Where are we going?" he asked as we passed under a streetlight. I sighed. I didn't really feel like talking. Not to anyone. Not with where I was going. But I would anyways, out of need.

"On a walk down memory lane." I muttered grimly, not really sure why I was doing this. I felt like I needed to. Like this would help me. I looked down while I walked, not needing to watch where I was going. I knew the way like the back of my hand. I knew the exact number of steps that I would have to take to get there. Edward didn't ask any more questions, understanding. The only sound was our footsteps on the cold, hard sidewalk. Then, he moved a little closer to me, and wrapped his arm around my waist, reminding me of what I already knew.

_I still love you. I'm here for you, even though you hurt me. _

It made me feel worse about hurting him.

With each step that brought me closer to my destination, I knew that I was doing the right thing. This was going to hurt…a lot. But I had to do it, I knew that now. I'd been thinking about it a lot the past few days.

I stopped walking, not even having to look up to know that we were there.

"Is this it?" Edward asked in a whisper. Then, I did look up, my stomach churning. There it was. Brandon's house. His parents had moved shortly after they buried him, and nobody had bought the house since. There wasn't even a "For Sale" sign in the yard. No one had been taking care of the house, and the grass was waist high on me. There wasn't even a path to the front door anymore. I remembered the way it was the last time I'd been here. Grass neatly trimmed, stepping-stone path up to the door, flowers in window boxes…

Several of the windows had been broken. In a little town like Forks, everyone knew what had happened within four hours. I couldn't buy a pregnancy test secretly; I knew the cashier, and had run into three of our neighbors on the way out. There aren't any secrets in a small town. Surprisingly enough, none of the windows of Brandon's room had been shattered. I looked up at Edward, and he was surveying the house, like I had been doing a moment before. I nodded mutely, and knew that he'd seen me out of the corner of his eye.

My heart racing, I slipped away from Edward's arm, and stepped over the short fence. I knew that with how overgrown the yard was, only Emmett would been to shove the gate open. I looked back at Edward, who was watching me now.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked after a long minute. I did want him to come with me. It would be hard, and I had to it, and it would be easier with him there, but I couldn't force him to do this with me.

"If you want to." I said, my stomach feeling a little queasy. Then I turned and started making my way through the weeds that covered my path. Not long after, Edward was by my side, helping me.

"I want to."

It took awhile, but we made it to the front door. I tried the knob, and wasn't surprised to find that the door swung open.

"Are you sure about this?" Edward asked me, reaching out and stroking my hair. _No. Give me an excuse to run. _I thought, but answered with a short, simple,

"Yes." This was creepy. It was dark inside the old house, and my footsteps echoed, because it was empty. Edward followed behind me.

"Here." He said softly, slipping something cold into my hand. It was a lighter. I got it to light, and although the light was dim, it made me feel a little less afraid, a little less like Brandon was going to jump out at me at any moment. There were glass fragments everywhere, and the random stone lying on the floor. A little bit of dust was kicked up with every step that either me or Edward took. I put my foot on the first step, then looked back. I was sure that my heart was beating loud enough for Edward to hear it.

"You can back out of this. Stop, right now. I won't think any less of you if you do." He assured me, taking my hand and standing with me. Tempting. But I couldn't do that. I was already this far, how could I stop now? I shook my head, and continued on, squeezing Edward's hand, maybe a little too tightly. After what seemed like an eternity, I stopped in front of Brandon's door. I reached out, and stopped, my hand halfway to the door knob. _You can do this. You can do this. Edward's with you. You'll be fine. You'll be better after this. _I told myself. Three heartbeats passed. The flame from the lighter flickered a little, like it was laughing at me.

I opened the door and walked into the room, Edward next to me. It was empty, of course, but the bloodstains hadn't been completely erased from the floor. It would've been impossible to do that, I think. There'd been so much. I steadied my breathing as best as I could. If I closed my eyes, even just to blink, I knew that I would be reliving the whole thing. As it was, I was hearing his voice in my head.

_"Come on, Bella. You love me, don't you? You always said you loved me." _I shook my head, handing the lighter to Edward, then covered my ears with my hands, letting go of his. _"Why not? Is there someone else? There better not be." _I heard a dull thud in my head as he accented his words with a punch to my stomach. I cried out, in my head and with my voice.

"Shhhh. It's okay, Bella." A different voice , a more beautiful one whispered in my ear, gently prying my hand away and lacing his fingers through mine. "Are you alright? Do you want to go now?" Edward asked gently. My eyes opened, slowly. I had been able to handle that. I shook my head. I had to get this over with.

"Bed." I said, in a shaky voice and pointing to the corner by the closet. _Brandon, laughing and pushing my backwards, so I fell on the bed. _I shook my head, refusing to remember that part.

"Desk." I said, pointing to the spot a few feet away from where I'd been pointing before. _He pushed me back, the wood of his desk digging into my back, then hit me again, my head slamming into the wall. He'd never hit me like this before. Sure, a couple of slaps now and then, holding me a little too tightly every once in a while. But nothing like this. _The tears started to flow and my voice shook as I turned around and pointed to a spot on the floor. Edward turned too.

"Gun." I whispered. _My vision blurry, but I could see him standing, looking at his hands. _

_"Oh my God!" He yelled, starting to shake, glancing at me on the floor. He ran across the room, ripped his blanket off the bed, and threw it over me so that he wouldn't have to see me. I could still see him, had to watch as he threw up into his trashcan. _

_"Oh my God." He said again, almost too quietly for me to hear. I felt myself begin to slip into unconsciousness, even though I knew that I had to stay awake. _

_"What have I done?" he asked himself in a horrified voice. He walked, stumbling, to his dresser and threw clothes everywhere, searching for something. Stay…awake. I told myself. You'll die if you pass out. I couldn't move. Too many broken bones, so I just watched. There. He'd found it. It was a gun, and I wondered, no, hoped, that he was going to finish me off. Let me die in peace. But no. With a shaking hand, he lifted the gun to his own head, tears flowing down his cheeks. _

_"I-I'm sorry, Bella! I never meant to go this far!" he told me, then, pulled the trigger. _

I fell to my knees, sobbing. Surely, I'd put myself through enough.

"I-I-I want out!" I yelled, gasping for breath. I heard a faint click, the lighter being closed, and then Edward had scooped me up in his arms, and was carrying me outside.

**Edward's POV**

I can't believe I let her do that. I'm such an idiot. I was holding her, leaning against the fence. She'd been crying, even harder than the day that Emmett had told me about all of this. She'd thrown up once already.

"I…I feel better. Can you believe that?" she said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. I looked down at her. She was…smiling. She climbed off my lap and dusted off her pants.

"I think it'll be easier now. That's why I made myself do this." She told me in a small voice. I was in complete awe. She was the strongest girl I'd ever met.

"Can we go home now?" She asked, holding out her small, slender hand to help me up. The idea was laughable, tiny Bella helping me to stand back up again.

"You're all right now?" I asked, taking it and standing up. She nodded. "Then let's go home." I said, turning, and starting to walk with her, back towards her dad's house.

"Wait! There's something that I want to do first." She said, stopping suddenly. She tore her hand out of mine and darted back the few steps. I turned and watched as she picked up a sizeable rock out of the yard and weighed it in her hand. I smiled, realizing what she was about to do. She drew her arm back, and let the rock fly. It went through the window of Brandon's room, and the night's silence was shattered by the sound of breaking glass.

* * *

**There we go. Bella's one step closer to closure. **

**Edward and Bella may not have made up, but...they're not _really _fighting. There are just some hurt feelings that Bella needs to make up for. **

**Yay!!! We've made it past 300 hundred reviews!!! I'm super excited =D thanks to-**

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**Thanks, so much, all of you!! that's 25 reviews =) You know...the most reviews I've ever gotten for one chapter is 32, for 13. I wonder...can we match that for this chapter? It _should _be easy enough, I mean...there are 147 people on the alert list for this!! 147!!! It doesn't have to be an epic, long review that reduces me to tears. How about everyone who reads this just popping in and taking a few, few seconds to tell if they're liking the story? Would that be hard? **

**Okay. I have to go work on my school now...*sigh* review, and don't forget to vote on my poll!! I've only gotten three =( **


	19. Chapter 19: Someday

**Here we are, chapter 19. I'm not all that happy with this one, but...yeah. I couldn't figure out how to write any better than I did, so...here it is.**

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**Bella's POV**

Going to Brandon's house again did me worlds of good. I found it easier to talk, still easiest around Edward, but I was…okay with, not exactly comfortable, but okay with talking around Emmett, Adele and Jake. Other people were still a bit of a challenge, but…I was making it. I was talking with Edward almost all the time now, but things were still a little bit rocky with him. I mean…how do you apologize for this sort of thing? It hated being on shaky ground with him, but I was clueless on how to fix this. I'd been thinking about it for a long time, and had only one idea, and after a couple of days of debating with myself, I decided that I was ready for it.

Before we left Forks, I went with Jake up to La Push, by ourselves. Adele was with Edward for the day. I hadn't really spent any time alone with Jake, and I felt a little guilty. He drove.

"So, what are we going to do?" he asked as he pulled into the old gravel drive and putting his Rabbit in park.

"Are you building anything?" I asked. He nodded. I got out of the car and slammed my door shut, as did he.

"Yeah. You want to see?" he asked, coming towards me and resting his elbow on my head. I glared up at him, and stuck my tongue.

I liked spending time with Jake. He was one of the few people that I could really be just myself around. He was the easiest to talk to now, after Edward, and…with him, I didn't have to act mature, or behave because I'm a mom. It was a good feeling.

He just grinned down at me with his trade mark goofy grin.

We spent the day in his garage, hiding from the cold rain, me sitting in the passenger's seat of the car that he was building now, him working on the engine. We talked some, but for most of the time, we were quiet, just liking being together again.

* * *

We were at Renee and Phil's now, in Florida. Edward, Rose, Emmett, and I would all be leaving for New York in three days. I wasn't looking forward to it, leaving the warm weather and Adele. I really didn't want to leave Adele, not again. Once I got back to New York, I would have to start looking for a better paying job, maybe look into starting college (Like I'd actually have the money for that…) so that she could come and live with me soon.

Now, Edward and I were sitting on the back deck, alone. Renee and Phil had gone out to dinner, and Rose and Emmett had gone down to the beach with Adele. It was…awkward, between the two of us. _Well…now's as good a time as any. _I thought, clearing my throat. Edward looked up from the notepad that he was drawing on.

"Let's take a walk. I want to talk." I said, standing up carefully. I was wearing a dress, one that Alice had bought for me, of course, and it was rather short. I liked it, despite the fact that it was a light pink, and that if I wasn't careful about my balance or ignored the wind coming off the ocean, the skirt would fly up.

"Alright." Edward said, getting to his feet as well. we walked, side by side down the wooden stairs and onto the sandy path through the growth and up onto a dune. I slipped my sandals off there and lined them up neatly with Rose and Adele's. Emmett's shoes had just been tossed to one side. It was pretty outside. The sun was starting to go down, and it wasn't too hot, around seventy degrees. Before too long, we were walking along, the waves hitting our feet every few seconds.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Edward asked. He turned his head to look at me, his hands in his pockets and the legs of his jeans rolled up so that they wouldn't get wet. I crossed my arms, wishing that I could reach over and hold his hand.

"I've been thinking a lot lately…" I started. I wasn't really sure what I was going to say. I knew that I'd thought this all out, that I'd planned every word that I was going to say, but now, my mind was blank.

"Okay. About?" Edward prompted. He looked down for a second, then, next thing I knew, his hands had shot out and he lifted me up by the waist, only to set me down a few feet away from where I'd been before. I turned and glared at him.

"What was that for?" I asked, in an annoyed voice. Edward laughed softly, his musical laugh. I felt my anger fade a little before he even spoke. How could you stay angry at a person who laughed like that?

"Jellyfish." He said, and shrugged. Well, I definitely couldn't be angry at him now. To tell the truth, it was a little annoying. He laughed again and started walking. I just stood and watched for a minute, then ran to catch up. To my surprise, when I did, he laid his arm over my shoulders, pulling me a little bit closer to him. It wasn't out of the normal for Edward to do that, it just was _now. _I mean, we were still on thin ice here. He hadn't really been himself the past few days.

"So. What've you been thinking about?" he asked me, trying to get our conversation back on track. I smiled. Edward was always curious about what I was thinking, there was no way that he'd pass up a chance to find out even the smallest thought. I took a deep breath, leaning into his side a little. I smiled when he didn't shy away, like he would've a couple days ago. It hurt just thinking about how much I'd hurt him.

"I was wondering if you still had that key?" I asked quietly, looking up so that I could see his face. He was looking straight ahead, his jaw clenched. His free hand went to his hair, his fingers running through it.

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" he asked after a long silence.

"I don't know. I can't tell what you're thinking." I said, still watching him. He sighed, and finally looked at me.

"Are you saying that you want to move in with me after all?" he asked, his voice soft and velvety, his eyes bright and hopeful. I smiled, and nodded. He grinned down at me…for a minute. Then, it faded, and he looked away again. I reached up and grabbed his chin, pulling his head so that he was looking at me again.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice soft and gentle. We'd stopped walking now, and I buried my feet in the sand.

"I don't…I don't know if we can make this work, if you think I just-" Ah, so that's where he was going with this. I'd figured it was, but I knew it now. Before he could say anything else, I clapped my hand over his mouth. He yelped, the sound muffled, out of surprise.

"Stop." I ordered him, looking into his eyes. His arm had fallen off my shoulders and he just stood there, stunned. I didn't really blame him, it wasn't often that I did something like this.

"Be quiet, for a moment, and listen to me." I said. He nodded, mutely. I didn't move my hand.

"I am a stupid, blind, idiot." I started. I felt him frown and try to protest, but I pushed harder against his mouth. "You know it's true. And…I'm sorry. I know that I was wrong, and terrible for thinking like that. It's hard-" my voice broke and I stopped talking for a minute. "when I'm so close to everything that I've been running from for years, to think that the rest of the world isn't like that." Edward reached up and gently pried my fingers loose. I didn't try to stop him. I prided myself in the fact that only a couple of tears fell, and I wasn't sobbing. I hated crying.

"Hey." He said, rubbing the couple of tears that were on my cheeks away with his finger. I looked back up at him, and he was smiling at me, his eyes restored to their usual vividness and happy.

"I love you. I forgive you." He told me seriously.

"I love you too." I said, smiling. I wasn't thinking about what I was doing, about how nervous I'd been to say it, or how badly things had turned for me after I'd told it to Brandon. I wasn't really thinking, to tell the truth. I stood up on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around Edward's neck, and kissed him.

**Edward's POV**

_She loves me. She loves me. She really loves me. _I shouted in my head as I wrapped my arms around Bella and lifted her up. It was actually kind of funny how much shorter she was than me, short enough that she had to stand on her toes to kiss me. But, I liked it that way.

I'd missed this, being able to kiss her like this. I'd really missed it.

Then, there was a faint, "click" and muffled giggle. Bella must've heard it too, because we pulled apart at the same time and turned, me setting Bella back on the beach. Rose, Emmett, and Adele were all standing a few feet away from us, Emmett with my camera in his hand, Rose with her hand over Adele's mouth.

"Run, Emmett!" Rose yelled as I lunged. He laughed and darted away down the beach before I could grab him. It was surprising how a guy that big could move that fast. I ran after him, hoping that I wouldn't step on a shell or stray jelly fish. That would suck. Emmett's lead didn't last long. I was still faster of long distances. I tackled him, and laughing, he let me have my camera. I looked at the picture he'd taken. It was a great picture, both me and Bella oblivious, the ocean and the setting sun behind us. I wasn't deleting this one. I put the camera back in my own pocket, and looked back. The girls were several yards behind us, sitting on the sand. I smiled…until Bella screamed.

Then, I ran. Ran like a bat out of hell. Emmett was right behind me. I skidded to a stop and dropped down to my knees. There was blood staining the sand and I felt my heart drop.

"What happened?" I gasped, out of breath. Adele buried her face in my shoulder, crying, obviously scared.

"She stepped on a shell. It's embedded in her foot." Rose told me, being careful not to look at Bella's left foot.

"Emmett, take Adele." I said. Time for a trip to the ER. I should've known it would be a matter of a time; it had already been three weeks since Bella had tripped and hit her chin the counter, and I had to take to her to get stitches. I slid one arm under Bella's knees, and the other under her shoulders, and scooped her up, cradling her against my chest. Blood dripped onto the sand from her foot and she gasped in pain, wrapping her arms around my neck and hiding her face in my chest. I started walking back towards her mom's house. It wasn't far, but it seemed to take much longer than it had taken to get to this point, with Bella bleeding and whimpering into my shirt every couple minutes.

Soon, I was sitting in the back seat of the Volvo that we'd rented, Bella leaning against me, her leg propped up on the seat and her foot wrapped in a couple of towels, silent tears running down her cheeks. Emmett was driving and Rose and Adele had stayed at home.

"Almost there, Bells." Emmett called back to us as he weaved through traffic. His driving scared me. And just the thought of that was scary, seeing as _my _driving scared most people.

* * *

Three hours later, Bella had fifteen stitches in her foot, which was wrapped in a ton of gauze and medical tape. Ignoring her protests, I carried her back into the house and set her down on the couch. She didn't need to be walking on it, and she was extremely light. Phil and Renee were back, but neither of them seemed surprised that we'd taken a trip to the ER.

"Only a matter of time." Renee had said, shaking her head with an amused smile on her face as I set Bella down.

"Daddy?" a sleepy voice asked. I looked down, and there was Adele, dressed a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, her PJs, and rubbing her eyes. I bent down and picked her up.

"What's the matter, Sweetie?" I asked. She yawned.

"Can you read me bedtime story?" she asked, sounding like she was already half asleep. She probably was. I nodded.

"Bella, I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Bella nodded, obviously worn out. I carried Adele out of the room and down the hall, into her own room. It felt strange, not having her in the same room as Bella and I at night. I set her down and she ran across the room to her book shelf, and pulled out a book. It was the Cat and the Hat. She handed it to, then jumped into her bed, wriggling under the covers. She was asleep before I'd read four pages. I set the book on her night stand, then pulled the covers up around her better. I brushed the hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. I was going to miss this. As I straightened up, an idea hit me. I thought it over, and smiled. It was a good one. I'd talk to Bella about it in the morning. But, for now, I was tired. I knew that Bella was even more tired than I was, so it was time to get to bed. I walked back into the living room and asked Bella if she was ready for bed. She nodded, as I knew she would.

"Edward!" she complained as I scooped her up again. Renee laughed and wished us goodnight, as did Phil I carried Bella back to our room.

**Bella's POV**

I crossed my arms as he carried me down the hallway and into our room, setting me down on the bed. I could walk, it wasn't like I'd broken my foot or anything.

"Come on, Bells. Don't be mad at me. I'm just worried about you, you know that." He said, sitting down next to me on the bed. I sighed. I knew that he meant well. I stood up, and hobbled over to my duffel bag. I looked it, lying there on the floor, it taunting me. I heard a soft chuckle behind me, and turned and glared at Edward.

"Help?" I asked with a sigh. He was already there.

"What do you want?" he asked. He held it open for me to see what was inside it, and I pointed to one of his tee shirts. He handed it to me. I chewed on my lip for a minute, then pointed at a pair of yellow sofie shorts, something that Rose had packed for me. Edward obliged, then stood up.

"You change in here, I'll go to the bathroom." He said, walking over to his suitcase and pulling out a pair of his pants. I nodded, and waited for him to leave, then locked the door and changed. When I was finished, I unlocked the door and waited for him to come back from the bathroom down the hall so that I could brush my teeth. A minute later he knocked, and came in. I stood up again, and hopped out of the room and to the bathroom. When I came back to the bedroom, Edward was already in bed, the lamp on my side the only light. I crawled under the covers, and switched the light off. I smiled. I could hear the ocean. I loved the sound. It was calming…peaceful.

"Hey, Bells?" Edward whispered.

"Hm?" I answered, with my eyes closed. Emergency room visits really took a lot out of me.

"Would you mind if I took off my shirt?" he asked, sounding embarrassed. Damn, the lights were out already, I wouldn't get to see him blush. As it was, I was blushing too.

"Why?"

"Because…" he groaned, and I could see the outline of his hand moving to his hair. "Because, it's hot in here, and I don't want to ask your mom or Phil to turn the air conditioner up, okay?" I laughed, loving putting him through this. I reached over and felt his forehead, sure enough, he was sweating.

"Fine by me." I said, my voice amused. Edward wanted his shirt, off, big deal. But, I knew that he'd asked me first because he wanted to respect my physical boundaries, was being careful not to make me uncomfortable. He sat up and pulled it off, then lay back down next to me, holding out his arms to me. I moved closer and he wrapped them around me.

"Love you." He said. I was too close to sleep to form a coherent answer, although I tried. He just chuckled.

"Go to sleep, Bella." And, I did.

**Edward's POV**

There was an ear-splitting scream, right in my ear. My eyes flew open, and I yelled, involuntarily, and scrambled to switch on the lamp. The clock read 2:00 am.

"Bella? Oh, Bella…" She'd sat up, drawn her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and put her head down on them, sobbing. A moment later the door burst open and Emmett charged in, followed closely by the rest of the family, all except Adele.

"Nightmare." I explained, stroking her hair.

"Alright, everyone, shoo!" Renee said, pushing Phil and Rose out the door.

"Rosalie, could you check and see if Adele's still asleep? Thanks, Hon." She turned back to look into the room.

"Emmett." She said, pointing. He opened his mouth to protest, looking back at Bella, curled up and crying.

"Go. You too, Edward." I sighed, knowing that it would be futile to try and protest. So, I leaned over and kissed the top of Bella's head.

"I love you. I'll be back soon." I told her before slipping out bed, grabbing a shirt, and leaving with Emmett.

**Bella's POV**

"Oh, Baby…" my mom said, slipping into bed next to me. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled my head down on her shoulder. My mom didn't act like a real mother very often, but she was good at it when she did. She was better as a grandmother, just getting to act the role of mom.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked in a soothing tone. I obliged.

"It was good…at first." I said, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm, wiping away the tears that I hated so much. "It was me and Edward and-and he kissed me" I felt myself blush. Nothing like telling your mom about this kind of stuff, huh?

"and I kissed him back…but then, he-he turned into Brandon and I couldn't get him to stop." I finished, almost whispering now. I didn't go into to detail, but she could guess easily enough. Renee rocked me back and forth, and I felt like I was five again, and had just fallen down the stairs and scraped my knee.

"Alright, it's time for you to listen." She said, stopping. I sat up, and looked at her. Oh man, my foot was throbbing. I'd have to ask Edward for some pain meds when he got back.

"I know I haven't known Edward for long. But, I can tell that he's a great guy. The kind that every girl dreams about getting. So, you don't need to worry, alright? He loves you, that's obvious. And, I'm pretty sure you love him back, right?" she paused, waiting for me to answer. I nodded, blushing a little again.

"Right. So, there's no need to worry. Now, go back to sleep, okay? It's late…early, whichever you prefer. We should all be in bed. I'll send Edward back, okay?"

"Okay. Tell him I want medicine for my foot, please?" I said as she got off the bed.

"Alright. Sleep well, Sweetheart." She said, shutting the door softly.

**Edward's POV**

"She wants the medicine for her foot, Edward." Renee told me. I was waiting in the hall.

"Okay. Is she alright now?" I asked softly, not wanting her to hear. Renee nodded, a little sadly.

"Edward. Just…be careful with her right now. She'll probably be a little but more nervous around you." She warned as I ducked into the bathroom for a cup of water and the pills. That puzzled me. Had the dream been about me? I opened my mouth to ask, but she was already gone. I shrugged, and walked tiredly back to me and Bella's room.

"Your mom said you wanted these." I said, holding up the pills, then handing them to her.

"Thanks." Bella said, sighing in relief, and taking them. She handed the cup back to me, and I put it on the nightstand.

"Ready to go back to sleep?" I asked, starting to pull my shirt off again. Bella's small, pale hand on my arm stopped me.

"Can you leave it on, please?" she asked, her voice casual, but her eyes begging. Is this what Renee meant?

"Of course." I told her, with a smile. I reached over and turned the light off.

"Are you going to be okay, Bella?" I asked, playing with her hair. I heard her yawn before she answered.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay." she said, then, a minute later, I thought I heard her whisper, "Someday."

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**I didn't really like writing this chapter. There was a lot of E/B fluff in it, and I'm not all that comfortable writing it. I'm fourteen. I've had one boyfriend, he was a seventh grader, I was a ninth grader (who should've been a seventh grader...) and the farthest we ever went was a kiss on the cheek. I have no romantic expierence. So...don't expect any really descriptive make-out scenes, and definitely no lemony sex scenes from me. Ever. Not just in this story, but in any other one I write. **

**Okay, now that we've officially made me feel awkward....yay for Friday!! Go Friday!! Who agrees with me? **

**So, Wednsday night, I had a softball game. It was pouring. but, no lightening, so the blues (refs) didn't call it. Oh man, was it fun!! And the tarps that had served as the roofs of the dugouts were torn off when Ike (hurricane) came through here back in Septemeber so...no shelter in the dugout. Yay!!! Although, seriously, it was one of the best games I've ever played. My team won by one run, which I scored!! It was pretty awesome. Me, I'm a bad base runner. I'm not fast, at all. But...I can hit. So, I don't cross the plate myself, instead, RBIs are my thing. =)**

**Anyways...Y'ALL ARE AMAZING!!!!!! _53 REVIEWS!!!!! _WHOA!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THAT MADE ME???**

**Keep it up folks. Keep it up. I'm so proud of you!!! **

**P.S. don't forget to vote on my poll!! To those of you who have voted, thank you sooo much!! I'll probably try and write that one once Speechless in over. **


	20. Chapter 20: Suddenly I'm the bad guy?

**Chapter 20! Here we go. Read the author's note at the bottom. Oh, and by the way, the title of the chapter isn't really a peek into the chapter, at least not with me. Not just for this chapter, but probably for every chapter. I just take random lines that I think will make a good chapter title. **

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**Bella's POV**

Before long, there were only two days left until it was time to go back to New York. I was torn between wanting to stay here in Florida, with my baby, and the warmth, and the peace, and wanting to go back to the bustle of New York City, to the bookstore, to my own life.

I didn't really have choice, I knew. I had to go back with everyone else, but at least I would have Edward with me. If it wasn't for that comfort, I probably would've begged my mom or Charlie to let me move back in with one of them. Sure, I'd known that life on my own was going to be a lot harder than living with my parents, but…I never expected it to be this hard.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Rose asked, sitting down next to me in the sand, her eyes on the waves. Edward and Emmett had taken Adele to look for seashells further down the beach, so we were alone, for the moment. Looking at her, I realized how much we'd both grown up. Rose was two years older than I was, and she'd known me since birth. That's why I awarded the title of Best Friend to Alice, (not that I'm saying you can't have more than one…) because Rose deserved much, much more than that. She wasn't my best friend. She was my sister. However…she was one of the people that I still had a little trouble talking to, which, even though she'd never said a word about it, was painful to her. So, instead of opening my mouth, I picked up the notebook sitting next to me, and pulled the pen out of my ponytail.

_"I'm just thinking about how I don't really want to leave Adele…and how life's a lot harder than anyone told us it would be." _I wrote as she read over my shoulder. Rose laughed, and put her chin on my shoulder.

"Amen to that." She sighed. "I don't want to leave my little niece here either. But…you know, it's not like she could live with you at your apartment, _you _can barely fit in there!" She teased. I felt like slapping myself in the forehead. I can't believe that Edward and I'd forgotten to tell people that I was moving.

_"Oh…about that. Well, you see, Edward asked me to move in with him…and I said yes." _I wrote. It was quiet for a minute, the only sound was the crashing of the waves on the beach in front of us. Then, a high-pitched squeal came from Rose, and she tackled me, hugging me with all her might. I saw Edward and Emmett's distant forms turn to make sure that we were okay before following Adele farther down the beach.

"My little Bella's really growing up!" Rose said, pretending to get choked up as she pulled me back into a sitting position and helped me get the sand out of my hair. I rolled my eyes at her, but laughed.

"I wonder how Emmett's going to react..," Rose mused, tapping her chin with her pointer finger.

"Badly, probably." I said after a moment, staring out at the ocean. I wished it was just a bit warmer, so that the water would be warm enough to swim in. Rose laughed.

"Yeah, probably. Here's a tip. Tell him when he's on the phone with someone, that way he can't blow up…at least not right away." I laughed, knowing that it was probably good advice.

"And, about Adele, well, maybe you could take her with you guys. It changes things, if you're going to be living with Edward. He has plenty of room for her, and he loves her like she's his own daughter." She suggested, looking hopeful herself. I knew that she loved having Adele around just as much as Emmett did, even though she was more reserved in her happiness. I waited a minute before I answered. It was strange, when I attempted to talk with anyone other than the small circle of people I was really, truly comfortable with, it seemed to take longer for my tongue to remember how to pronounce the words I was trying to get it to say.

"But, I'm not even sure how I'm going to scrape together enough money for half the rent myself. I can't afford taking care of Adele too...my job just doesn't pay well enough. And...what if something happens, between Edward and I? What if we break up, and I have to send her back here? I don't know if I could do that, Rose." I said quietly, burrowing into the sand with my toes. My cut foot was still wrapped up, so the sand didn't get anywhere near the cut. I would get the stitches out when we were in New York again. There was a frustrated huff from Rose, and then she smacked me in the back of my head.

"Ow! What the hell?" I yelled, rubbing the tender spot gently.

"When exactly are you going to get it through your _hard _head that Edward loves you! Truly loves you! Don't you see the way he looks at you? He would die for you! Unless _you _do something incredibly stupid, he's not going to leave you, and I'm not going to let you mess up your life, not again!" She said, enunciating every few words with either a slightly gentler smack to the head or poke in the shoulder. I was shocked at how angry she'd gotten about this. When she'd finished, I just gaped at her, open-mouthed. I probably looked like an idiot, but I couldn't help it.

"Well, I would've said it in a bit of a gentler way, but..." said a velvet voice from behind me. I whirled around and Edward laughed, sitting down next to me while Adele danced over, reminding me a bit of Alice, and dumped a handful of shells on my lap.

"See, Mommy? For you." She said happily, plopping down in the sand in front of me. I felt myself smile as I sifted through them.

"They're beautiful. Thanks, Baby." I said, examining each one and smiling at her, exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for. She stood up again, and started walking. No one moved to follow her, as we didn't think that she'd be going far. She turned and looked back at us all when she was a few feet away, then, before anyone could reach out and grab her, darted away towards the waves. Rose and I yelled for her to come back, and I got to my feet faster than I would've under normal circumstances, and ran to catch her. While she ran, she turned around and saw that I was chasing her, Edward not far behind me, and squealed, pushing her little legs even faster. I was just about to catch her…when she tripped and fell into an oncoming wave, taking me down with her. I coughed and spluttered, while she choked on salt water. I grabbed her and sat up, hitting her in the back, gently, to help her clear her lungs.

"Adele Evangeline Swan! _Never _do that again!" I told her sternly, turning her around so that she could see my face and that I was serious. Her lower lip quivered, and the next thing I knew, she'd started crying. Rose took her from me, as another wave came in and crashed over me, making me choke again. Edward laughed as pulled me up.

"Oh, you poor baby...here, we're gonna get you changed, don't worry. Yeah, I know, I know." Rose crooned to Adele as she cried, gathering up her things with one hand, then walking swiftly back towards the house.

"Suddenly I'm the bad guy?" I asked, my teeth chattering as I shivered from the cold ocean water soaking my clothes. My foot stung sharply, the wrap having absorbed the salty water. Emmett wrapped a towel around my shoulders before jogging to catch up with Rose.

"Eh, you know how Rosalie is." Edward said, helping me walk. Stupid foot. I grit my teeth against the sharp sting of both the cold and the cut as we made our way up the dune.

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It was getting late, Adele was in bed, Renee and Phil were in bed, Rose and Emmett still weren't home from their date, and Edward and I were watching a movie in our temporary room.

"I love your hair." Edward said into my hair. "It smells so good." Okay, _I _was watching the movie, apparently Edward had seen Happy Gilmore too many times to be interested. I pretended to be mad as I picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

"You're lucky it's over, or else I really would be mad at you." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"I don't think you could be mad at me." he said, with my favorite crooked smile on his face. I allowed myself a small smile, then picked up my book and started reading it, ignoring Edward completely. It was called "Time of the Eagle" by Sherryl Jordan. I was about halfway through with it. It was really pretty good.

"Bella." He said, trying to get my attention. I kept reading. Well, staring at the page and pretending I was reading.

"Bella.." he said, dragging out the a sound and turning it into a whine. I didn't look at him. He was quiet for a minute, then started running his fingers through my hair, undoing the braid, probably just to annoy me. I bit my lip and still stared at the book, even though I wanted to smack him. It had taken me a long time to get my hair braided. He exhaled in a snort, obviously annoyed that I still wasn't giving him any attention. I fought to keep from smiling. This was fun. He leaned over and kissed my jaw, then my lips.

How was I supposed to ignore that?

I dropped my book and kissed him back, weaving my fingers through his hair. He was careful and gentle, as always. Then, he surprised me, and moved his hand from the small of my back to the hem of my shirt, his thumb slipping under and caressing the skin around my belly button.

And suddenly, I was feeling different hands, different lips, different hair.

**Edward's POV**

I refused to let my nervousness show. True, I had a good reason to be nervous, since I was testing the limits that Bella and had established over the past couple months, but I didn't want show that I was nervous.

Then she froze, her body stiffening, and I knew that I'd messed up. I quickly moved my hand as she pulled away, gasping for breath. She untangled her fingers from my hair and backed up against the wall, eyes closed, still breathing hard.

"I'm sorry." I said, mentally kicking myself. She was quiet for what seemed like hours rather than minutes.

"I hate myself." She whispered. It was so quiet that my ears barely caught the words, and I probably wasn't supposed to hear them, but, I did.

"Bella!" I said, appalled. Her eyes fluttered open and they confirmed that I wasn't supposed to hear that.

"Bella..." I said again, in a softer, gentler tone. "Bella, why?" It shocked me, and scared me. It was perfectly reasonable for her to hate a lot of things in her life, but...herself?

"Because I'm weak. I'm weak, I'm _dirty_, I'm plain, I'm clumsy, and I'm fantastic at hurting people." She said in a miserable voice, wrapping her arms around herself. I debated with myself for a moment, then moved so that I was leaning up against the wall next to her. When she didn't back away, I cautiously put my arm around her and kissed her forehead, hoping that was an acceptable thing to do at the moment.

"I'm going to have to disagree. You're the strongest girl I've ever met, and that includes Esme. Look at how far you've come in just the past few days. That seems pretty amazing to me." I told her, looking down at her while she stared straight ahead. She didn't speak, so I went on.

"You are most definitely _not _plain. Bella, you're beautiful, the most beautiful person I've ever seen." She scoffed.

"Edward, you're required to say that, as a good boyfriend." She said. It was true...but I was being truthful as well.

"I'm not lying. I could show a picture to any five random people and they would all tell me that you're gorgeous." She smiled, just a little at that. "Yes, you're also the biggest klutz I've ever met. But, I love your clumsiness. It's one of the things that make you _you. _Plus, I love catching you when you fall." She smiled a little more, which made my smile brighten a tad.

"I'll admit…you do have a certain knack for pushing people's buttons. But, I can live with that. I know that you're not doing it on purpose." She sighed, and I frowned. Now for the hardest of them all.

"And you're not dirty, either. It wasn't your fault, what that bastard did to you." I sighed, running my hand through my hair as I tried to figure out the way to explain my thoughts. Bella had relaxed, letting her head rest against me. I looked down at her for a long minute, wishing I could just erase what had happened to her.

"The way I look at it," Oh man, this was going to be awkward. "The way I look at it, you haven't lost anything. Virginity…I don't think it's something that a person can just take from another. It-it has to be given." I sighed. "Did that make any sense at all?" I asked both her and myself. She was chewing on her lip, staring at a spot on the wall. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it some more." She said softly. I nodded.

"When you figure it out, be sure to tell me, okay?"

"Okay." We were both quiet.

"Are you ready to turn the lights out?" I asked, yawning a little. Bella nodded, so I pulled off my shirt, something that Bella had gotten used to by now. I felt myself blush a little as she stared. Okay, she hadn't gotten completely used to it yet. I decided it wasn't a good time to tease her about, and reached over and turned off the lamp. She already had her head on the pillow and was trying to regulate her breathing. I lay down as well, but didn't close my eyes.

"Can you tell me what I did wrong?" I asked, thinking back to where this conversation had started. She sighed.

"I can't really explain it. I guess it was because I didn't expect you to do that, and it surprised me?" It came out like a question. I thought about for a minute. It made sense. I could avoid that in the future.

"Hey, Bella? Can I ask you something else?"

"Shoot." She replied, rolling over so that she was facing me. I could just make out her features in the dark.

"What is it that you keep dreaming?" She'd been having nightmares three nights in a row, if she had one tonight, it would the fourth. She hadn't told me what it was that bothered her so much that she woke up crying every night.

"Bella?"

"I'm not sure you want to know." She answered, hesitantly.

"It can't be that bad." I whispered, kissing her temple.

"Famous last words..." she muttered under her breath.

"I want to know." I insisted. I heard her sigh, very softly.

"Fine. It always starts out good..." she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, kissing me for a moment.

"Like that?" I asked, slightly dazed, when she pulled away. I felt her nod.

"And then...then the dream changes, and you-you turn into Brandon, and you...or he keeps pushing me, farther and farther" her voice broke, but she kept talking. "and there's nothing I can do, nothing that I can say that will make whichever one of you it really is stop." She whispered. She wasn't crying, although I wouldn't have blamed her if she had been. My mind was reeling. Did she think that I could ever act the same way that Brandon did? I hoped not. I reached out and wrapped my arms around her

"I would never hurt you, you know that right?" I asked, trying to keep how much the dream had affected me out of my voice. For the most part, I succeeded.

"Yeah." She answered a minute later, resting her head on my shoulder. I kissed her forehead as her breathing started to slow, and her eyes closed. She was going to be asleep in another couple minute.

"So, there's no reason for you to dream about that." Bella nodded, sleepily.

"I love you." I told her, but she was already asleep. I smiled, listening to her breathing, then whispered in her ear,

"Dream happy dreams tonight."

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"I have something that I want to suggest." I spoke up at dinner the next night. Everyone was together for our last night there, sitting around the dining room table. Bella had slept well the night before, to my delight. No nightmares. She was happy when she woke up, and said that she had a good dream, but wouldn't tell anyone what it was. Whenever someone asked, she would sing,

"A dream is a wish your heart makes." Which made me ask her dozens of time throughout the day, just so that I could hear her sing. It was something that she'd never done before, another break through.

Everyone looked up at me, like I was suddenly in bright spotlight.

"Well...I was thinking, the other day, about Adele. I love her, like she was my own daughter, and I'm really going to miss her." She was asleep on the couch. She'd fallen asleep during the middle of watching Monsters Inc, and none of us had the heart to wake her up. She could eat later, if she was hungry.

"And, I know Bella will too. So, I was thinking, since Bella's moving in with me, what if, as soon as we arrange it all, she came and lived in New York, with me and Bella?" I looked over at Bella, who was sitting next to me. She looked surprised, and I knew that I probably should've talked to her about this before I told her entire family my idea, but too late for that now. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too mad at me.

Rosalie just sat there and smiled. Bella had probably already told her that she was moving in with me, and Rose was perceptive enough to figure out that I was probably going to ask something like this. Renee looked happy enough about it, even though, at the same time, she looked a little sad at the idea of Adele not living with her anymore. Phil...something I'd learned about Phil in the past few days was that if Renee was happy, he was happy, even though I knew he would miss Adele as well.

Emmett...he was livid. He stood up, sending me death glares, but before he could do any thing else, Rose stood up and grabbed his ear, pulling him back into his seat.

"You and I will talk later." She told him, looking stern. Emmett nodded meekly, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"What do you think, Bella?" I asked, looking back at her.

"Give me some time to think...and we'll take more about it later, okay?" she said in a quiet voice. For once, neither her expression or her eyes gave me any clues as to what she was thinking, or even feeling. I didn't like that.

"Okay." I said. What else could I say? What else could I do, other than agree and wait for her answer?

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**Edward's view on the subject of virginity, is my own. It's really hard to explain!! Did it make any sense at all? Anyone? **

**So, once again, there's quite a bit of fluff here. Oh well. Fluff is good. **

**So, now we know what Edward's idea was!! Aren't you glad? But, now, we can also be curious about other things...like, what's Bella's answer going to be? what exactly was her dream? Hmm...**

**Yay! 36 reviews for chapter 19 =) a not as many as we had for 18, but...that's okay. It's not the reviews that make the story, even they encourage the author. **

**Alright. There are 189 people who are getting alerts for this story. On the day that I posted the last chapter, there were over 2,000 hits on this. Same with 18. And so, I am not going to post 21 until, A. I get it written (obviously) and, B. I get at least 40 reviews on this chapter. Once again, you don't have to write an amazing, loooong, this-took-me-10-minutes-to-write review. Nope. I just want to know that you liked it, or if you disliked it, or if you even read it. Please? I don't think I'm asking a lot here. **

**And...there are a couple of songs that I think relate to certain parts of the story line. You want to know what I think about, and where I get some inspiration? **

**Okay. for 18, I got a lot of inspiration out of the song "starts with goodbye" by Carrie Underwood. If you listen to the chorus, you'll probably see what I mean. **

**and then there's "Old Enough To Know" by Michael W. Smith, that I think sort of describes the last little while of Bella and Brandon's relationship. However, this song has been rather hard to find on any music site, or Youtube, at least for me, so, I'm going to find a video of the song and put the link on my profile ASAP, okay? And yes...it's from the 80s. =)**

**Okay. I have an algebra lesson to do for I leave for youth group in...an hour. Yikes!! so, adios, and don't forget to review!**

**P.S. also, check out my community!! **


	21. Chapter 21:We don't need to fight

**Ugh. Short chapter. Oh well...it's decent, in my opinion.**

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Rosalie's POV

"Emmett, she's a big girl. Edward's a good guy. Just get over it!" I said sharply as I pulled my shirt over my head, changing for bed. Emmett was pacing the room, and it was driving me crazy.

"But, Rosie..." I smiled to myself. He was using the old childhood nickname for me, the one that I only let him use. However, that wasn't going to soften him up.

"Emmett, trust me. You know I love Bella too, like she's my sister. You know that. You really think that I'd let something happen to her again?" I pulled on a spaghetti-strap, red tank top on and sat down on the bed. He stopped pacing in front of me.

"Rosie, what if something _does _happen, and there's nothing we can do about it, just like last time?" He asked, his anger fading out of his voice, being replaced with worry and fear. I sighed, knowing how he was feeling. Standing up again, and crossed the short distance between the two of us with a few short steps and wrapped my arms around him, putting my head down on his hard, but surprisingly soft chest. He wrapped his arms around me as well.

"Em, I think this is one of those times when we just have to trust our instincts, and hope that everything's going to turn out okay. Edward hasn't given us any reason to distrust him...and...I kinda had my manager run a background check on him." I admitted. Emmett was quiet for a minute, then laughed his booming laugh.

"And? What turned up?" he asked, sounding both proud and interested.

"Nothing. He's clean." I said with a small shrug.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" he asked in a suspicious tone. I laughed.

"No, Em, I'm being completely honest. Darla couldn't find anything wrong with him!" I said. Really, I was being honest. He stared down at me for a minute.

"Fine. I'll believe you. Now, come on, let's get to bed." He finally said with a soft sigh. I found it funny how much of a teddy bear he was. I smiled and crawled under the covers and stuffed my earplugs in. He may be a teddy bear, but he was a terrible snorer.

**Edward's POV**

"Bella?" I asked sleepily. It was past midnight, and her side of the bed was empty. I sat up and swung my legs out of bed, my feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. I walked quietly out of the bedroom. There wasn't any light coming from under the door of the bathroom, so she wasn't there. I passed Adele's room, and stopped to listen at the door. The only thing I heard was quiet breathing, and I smiled. Following my gut, I walked out onto the porch and down the path to the beach. You could see quite a few stars over the ocean, and the moon was bright. Bella was sitting on the sand, her knees up to her chest and her arms around them. I quietly walked up behind her.

"You shouldn't be out here alone this late."

**Bella's POV**

I didn't turn around when Edward spoke. There was no mistaking that voice. It was so unique, it couldn't be anyone else. I patted the spot next to me, and he sat down

"What are you doing out here?" he asked in a quiet voice, looking up at the stars.

"Thinking." I answered, watching the waves crash on the beach in front of us.

"About what?" I lay back, looking up at the midnight sky. You could see much, much more stars out here. We were in a small-ish town, and obviously, the ocean helped too. And, of course, you hardly ever see any stars in New York City.

"About moving in with you...Adele joining us…"

"And what do you think about that stuff?" he asked, lying down next to me in the sand. He was probably freezing, what with the cool breeze coming off the ocean and not having a shirt on. But, it either didn't bother him, or he suffered in silence. Me, I had a pair of sweat pants, (not my favorites...another one of the things that Alice had bought me. It was from Victoria's Secret, they had "Pink" in big letters across my *cough* behind. Not my favorite style.) and the dark green hoodie that Emmett had given me back when I was pregnant.

"I'm not all that sure. I mean, I want to move in with you. I've already decided that, and I'm happy about it. A little nervous, but happy." I reached over and started playing with his hair. It was one of my favorite things to do, just play with his hair. It calmed me down, and helped me fall asleep. I couldn't explain why to save my life, though. He let out a contented sigh. He'd told me, blushing, that he liked it when I played with his hair.

"Why are you nervous?" He sounded slightly worried. I was too, trying to explain it to him. It seemed like that whenever we talked about serious subjects, like this, I ended up saying something that hurt him.

"For one, I'm nervous out being able to pay half the rent every month. I'm not sure how even you do it, you, the amazing, perfect man." I joked. He laughed a little.

"Believe me, Bells, I'm nowhere near perfect. And...a rather rich uncle of mine passed away a couple years ago. He left me everything...more than a small fortune. Plus, I might've gotten a few of my compositions published..." I gaped at him, my fingers catching in a knot in his hair.

"Ow." He said, leaning his head into my hand so that I wasn't pulling his hair any more. I gasped and untangled my fingers.

"Sorry!! But, hey, it's not every day...night I find out that my boyfriend is filthy rich!" I said in an accusing tone.

"Is that a bad thing? Most women like men with money." He teased. I rolled my eyes and he went on.

"Anyways, I'm not going to let you pay anything. I have plenty of money, unless I start buying mansions and Italian sports car right and left, I'll have more then enough money to last us our whole lives." I'd seen this coming, as soon as he told me how much money he really had. But, it still annoyed me.

"I'm not just going to mooch of you."

"What if I don't care?" he shot back, propping himself up on his elbow. I sighed. It looked like, like always, Edward was going to win.

"How much can I get away with?" I asked, digging my toes into the sand and crossing my arms behind my head. The only sound was the waves as he thought.

"How about you buy the food?" he suggested. I frowned. It looks like I couldn't get away with much at all.

"Edward." I said sternly, turning my head to give him a glare. His eyes twinkled back at me. He was obviously amused.

"Bella." He said, in the same tone that I'd used.

"Ugh!" I yelled, kicking his foot. He just laughed.

"You know, that one kind of tickled a bit..." he teased. I did the most mature thing that I could think of-I reached out and yanked on a handful of his hair. He yelped in pain before he could stop himself. I smiled triumphantly.

"No, Bella. That's it. Why should I make you waste your money when I have plenty? So, what do you think about Adele coming to live with us?" he asked, changing the subject. I let it go. I could see that I wasn't getting anywhere. I wasn't all that sure about it yet, having Adele with us. For one thing...as selfish as the reason may be, seeing as it was more about Edward and I than my daughter, I was still thinking about it. You see...moving in with him, and bringing Adele...making us a family...it suggested that we were planning on being together, a long time.

I wasn't completely sure if the idea made me extremely happy or if it terrified me.

"I want Adele to be with me. I really do. But...at the same time, I'm scared. I can't help but wonder if I can be a good mother, I mean, I've always had people around to help me, and give me advice, and I've already showed that I'm not all that great of one, I mean, I left her here, while I went to New York, to start my life...without her. How terrible is that?"

"It's forgivable. You're making up for it now, right? And, it's not like I'm never going to help you out. I'm her dad, of course I'm going to help out with her. And, you see, we already have a good 'daycare' system going. In the mornings, we'll both have, and, when you have to go into work, I'll keep her at the apartment with me while I do my lessons. And...something tells me that Esme will want to help out, too." I thought it over. He had a point. There would be plenty of people around to help. Emmett had a night job, one that suited him...bouncer. Rose was a model. She had a loose schedule. And Esme...wait. Esme?

"You told Esme?!" I all but yelled at him, sitting up.

"Um...yes?" he said, making it sound like a question, looking sheepish. I stood up, angry, and started walking down the beach (well, more like hobbling with my stupid foot all wrapped up) my arms crossed across my chest.

"Aw, Bella." Edward said from behind me. I kept walking as I heard him scramble to get up off the sand and ran after me.

"Bella...Bella, I'm sorry." He said, walking next to me.

I stopped.

Here we were, again. Fighting. Over something stupid. I thought of Renee and Charlie, and how their ending fight had started over something incredibly tiny and stupid, and ended in them splitting up.

How many more of these stupid little spats could Edward and I go through until something real, something important, snapped?

"I love you." I said, hugging him tightly.

**Edward's POV**

Well, this was confusing. One second, she's angry and walking away from me. The next, she tells me she loves me and hugs me. I hugged her back, even though I wasn't sure what was going on. Maybe she was PMSing?

But...I didn't care, either. She wasn't mad at me anymore.

I looked down as I heard her yawn.

"Come on. We should both be in bed, we have to be at the airport at 8:00 tomorrow morning." I told her, smoothing her hair down.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me." she said sarcastically.

Yep. Definitely PMS. Joy.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Adele, Baby, wake up." I said, softly, shaking the little girl's shoulder. I hated to do this, as it was only 5:30 in the morning, but, most of us were leaving in just a few minutes. It was now, or never, if we wanted to say goodbye.

Last night, Bella and I had decided that as soon as Bella was settled in my apartment, we'd move Adele in...if it was okay with Renee and Phil.

Her eyes opened slowly.

"Daddy?" she asked, still half asleep. She held her little arms out to me and my heart broke. I hated leaving her here, but at least it wouldn't be for long.

"Yeah, Sweetheart." I said, picking her up and carrying her out into the living room. She blinked in the brighter light. Bella stepped forward and took her from me, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Addie...Daddy and I, and Uncle Emmy and Aunt Rose have to go away again." She said, gently. Adele just looked at Bella with those big green eyes.

"Why?" she asked, sounding confused, and betrayed.

"Because, we have to go home, Sweetie. But, how would you like to come and live with me and Daddy, in a few weeks?" Bella said, all eyes on her.

Now, everyone knew about our decision.

Adele grinned and nodded vigorously.

"Bella, can I talk to you for moment, please?" Renee asked suddenly. That worried me. Her mood seemed to have changed a great deal from last night. Bella nodded, obviously as confused as I was, and handed Adele to Rose, then followed her mom out into the hallway.

**Bella's POV**

"Bella, Sweetie...are you sure about this?" Renee asked, as she shut the door to the living room. The question took me by surprise.

"About what?" I asked, dumbly. She sighed and leaned up against the wall.

"About taking Adele up to New York, to live with you. Are you sure it's a good idea?" she asked again. I just stared at her. The door opened and Edward came out. My mother opened her mouth, probably to shoo him away, but he cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dwyer, but if this is about Adele, I think I should be here too. I'm her Dad." Mom looked at him, like she was about to push him out the door anyways, but, she didn't.

"Yeah, I'm sure, Mom." I said, feeling confused. Why was she suddenly questioning this.

"About what? What's going on?" Edward asked, not following our conversation at all.

"My Mother isn't sure that Adele living with us is a good idea." I said in a hard, cold voice. I didn't like where this was going. Not at all.

"What? Why not?" he asked Renee, sounding just as angry as me.

"Well...Bella, you're nineteen years old!! You don't have a good job, and you've never been around to be her mom. You really think it's a good idea to drag her hundreds of miles away from the home that she's had for a year, form her loving Grandparents to live with you and your boyfriend who you've not even known for five months? Well, I don't. I've thought about since last night, and I don't like it. I want her to stay here, with me, a suitable guardian." I gaped at my mother, panting from her outburst.

It hurt. Hurt like she'd thrown coals at me.

"Gee. Thanks, Renee. I love you too. Bye. I'll call you to tell you when it's time for Adele to move. And, if you do anything to keep her from me, I _will _report you." I said. I knew that she would hate to be called her first name by her daughter, but I refused to call her mom right now. She didn't deserve the title.

"Bye, Renee." I said, and turned on my heel, seething, and went back into the living room.

"Come on, you two, we're going to miss our flight." Rose scolded us. I rolled my eyes at her and took Adele again.

"I love you, baby girl. I'll see in a few weeks, okay?" My baby nodded sadly, then Edward said his goodbyes to her as well. I ignored Renee, but hugged Phil. He'd done nothing wrong, to my knowledge.

Then...we left. Just like that. I watched out the rear window as my mom's house got steadily smaller until Emmett rounded the corner.

* * *

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO now we have some more drama going on...so. I'm taking a vote. Should Renee put up a fight about keeping Adele? No, there's no poll up for this one. So, just tell me in a review.**

**I'm sorry it took a little longer to update, but y'all will jsut have to deal with it. Explanation: Monday, first, my sister locked herself in the bathroom and I spent thirty minutes teaching myself how to pick a lock. Then, my dad's blood pressure sky rocketed due to stress, and he was feeling really crappy, so my mom had to take him to the ER. They left at around 5:00, got back around 11:00. I babysat, with minimal help from my brothers. **

**Tuesday...tuesday was just plain crap. Yeah, I'm not going to go into any more detail than that. **

**But, y'all did good!!! Instead of the mere 40 reviews I asked for, I got 61!!!! That's a new record for Speechless!!! Whoop-whoop!!! Give yourself a pat on the back, if you reviewed. You guys are amazing. **

**So...this chapter...I'm going to ask for 60 reviews. Seeing as we made it to that last chapter, I don't think it'll be too hard to do it again. We're almost at 500 reviews!!!!!!!!!!**

**Alrighty. So, I have a hectic week ahead of me, so it might take a while for me to get 22 written. I'm sorry. but, read the fics in my community if you need something to do =) But first, review!**


	22. Author's note: do you hate me yet?

**So...I know that everyone hates these stupid little author's notes "chapters" and I apologize. **

**Why haven't I updated yet? Because I asked for 60 reviews and I only got 52 for the last chapter. Yes, I was being serious about that. Now, since I'm leaving to visit my Oma and Opa and Uncle tomorrow, I was planning on putting the next chapter up anyways. This time yesterday, I was almost finished with it. But...writer's block struck. So, it's not finished yet, otherwise this would be a real update =( As much as I would like to just stare at the document until inspiration hits, here's my to-do list for the day.**

**1. Pack my stuff.  
2. update ipod so I won't be bored for 6 1/2 hour drive tomorrow and Sunday.  
3. Pack my little sister's things.  
4. Algebra test.  
5. Go to the library.  
6. transfer pictures off the computer an onto a memory card for my mom.  
7. Clean my room.  
8. Softball game tonight.**

**So...I'm already probably going to be up super late, and i just don't have the time to finish the chapter. Sorry!! Oh, yeah, my latest injury? I attempted to slide in practice last night, not knowing how freakin' hard the dirt was. I now have a gaint bruise/scrape on my right knee and I can barely walk. Hooray!!!**

**If you need something to keep you busy while I'm gone, check out the fics in my community. They're all good. Okay. It's already 1:00 pm. I have to get a move on. Bye!!**


	23. Chapter 22: The Return of Tinker Bell

**Bella's POV**

Needless to say, I was in a bad mood when we got on the plane. I mean, my own mother basically just told me that I was a crappy mother. I took the window seat, beside Emmett this time, and curled up, my head on his shoulder. I hoped that Edward would understand that this was one of those times where I needed someone other than him. Emmett was confused, needless to say, and the first thing he asked me-

"Did you and Eddie have another fight?" from the low growl coming from the seat in front of me, I knew that Edward was listening in. I leaned forward and tapped the bronze head in front of me, and he turned around so he was facing me.

"Edward, could you please listen to your ipod or something for a little while? I just need to talk to Emmett right now, okay?" I asked, feeling worse as I asked it. Now, I was once again hurting Edward, but he would just have to understand. He looked at me with those big, green eyes of his for a long moment, then turned back around. Through the crack between his seat and Rosalie's I could see him getting out his ipod.

I leaned back in my seat, Emmett looking even more confused.

"Okay...can you tell me yet?" he asked as I curled my legs up underneath me. I nodded and started telling him every detail I could remember of my "conversation" with Renee. When I was finished, he looked as confused as he was before, and disappointed too. He sighed and put his arm around my shoulders.

"I have to say, I'm not proud of Mom right now. This is something I would expect from Charlie...Not Mom. I think I get what's going on though." I was quiet. When Emmett decided to say something serious, that was best. You see, he really was very smart, although everyone had been shocked when he graduated from Forks High Valedictorian of his class. He just didn't choose to show it very often, preferred to be the laid back, easy going joker.

"I think that she's doing this because she's not ready to give Addie up yet. She's already had to let me and you grow up, and now she has to let her granddaughter go too. You know Mom. She's always had that weird fear of ending up alone. I think the word is 'monophobia?'" I just stared at him. It was a rare occurrence, Emmett using big words. He looked down at me with a huge grin on his face, obviously proud of himself. I burst out laughing, as I knew he wanted me to. I laughed until I cried and Edward had turned around to see what was going on. I made a face at him and he rose one eyebrow at me.

"Whatever you did, thank you." He told Emmett, who just laughed.

"Anyways, Bells, don't worry about Mom. She'll come around, eventually." Emmett told me. He was probably right.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Be careful with that!" I yelled at Edward, who was tossing a snow globe that Phil had gotten me from Disney World back and forth between his hands. We were at my apartment, packing, two days after we got back to New York. It wouldn't take too long to do it all, in fact, we were already about half way through. I was being a little bit paranoid though, and grabbed the snow globe out of his hands, set it down on the bar, and pushed him down onto the couch.

"Sit there." I ordered, then started "I am legend" for him to watch. He gave me a look that clearly said that he thought I was losing my mind, but I ignored it and kept packing.

Three hours later, we were back at Edward's apartment with most of my boxes. He'd actually driven his own car today, a shiny silver Volvo. Personally, I loved his car, but hated his driving. It made me nervous. Very, very nervous. So, I shut my eyes tight and dug my fingernails into Edward's hand. He didn't drive very often, but he was used to my reaction to his driving from the few times he had with me. So, instead of complaining, he just laughed and squeezed my hand.

"I wonder why I don't find it hard to believe that you broke Emmett's finger when you were in labor." I blushed and stuck my tongue out at him. Edward parked in his designated parking spot and we both got out of the car, me jumping out before he got the chance to open the door for me. He scowled and popped the trunk, then handed me one of the lightest boxes before taking two of the heavier ones in each arm. It was my turn to glare this time as he nudged the trunk of his precious car closed and led the way. I had to laugh as he fumbled with trying to get a hand free to push the button on the elevator. I giggled and, even though I could've just switched the box I was carrying to my other hand, hip bumped the button. We rode the elevator in silence, but a good silence, that I didn't feel like I needed to break, and apparently, neither did Edward. I had to admit...I felt lonely without Adele. Edward was great company, and I loved being around him, of course, but...

We hadn't seen either Alice or Jasper since before Christmas. It felt like forever, and I was more than a little surprised. Alice had called Rose a couple times, and wished us all Merry Christmas from both her and Jazz, and texted me a few times too. But, it was obvious to me that although she was close with the three of us, it would take her a long, long time to gain the closeness that Rose and I had. And, something told me that we would be on rocky terms after I told her about Adele, after keeping her secret for around a year. And, I knew she would be shocked by how much easier it was for me to talk; as far as she knew, I simply couldn't. I smiled. I'd really come a long, long way in the past few weeks. I'd amazed even myself. Then, Edward was unlocking the door to the apartment, carefully balancing one of the boxes on his knee, which made me bite my finger so hard that there were teeth marks on my knuckle. But, to my relief, he didn't let either of the boxes fall and held the door open for me with his foot.

I'd just set my box down on the table in the kitchen when I tackled from the side by a small-ish body. I wasn't expecting it, and it threw me off balance (not a hard thing to do) and we both toppled to the floor with a thud.

"Ow." I said, trying to figure out what had hit me. I looked up into the face of...Alice. _Who else? _I asked myself, smiling.

"Bella, I missed you!" she sang, squeezing me around my middle, ignoring the fact that we were both on the kitchen floor now. I heard laughter from the door way and lifted my head up enough to see Edward and Jasper watching us. Suddenly shy, I signed,

_"Help!" _Wondering which one would answer. Jasper moved first, crossing the room in a few long strides, crouching down, and prying Alice off me. Edward followed him, and helped me up, then proceeded to help me dust off.

_"I missed you too, Alice." _I signed, feeling a little guilty. I just couldn't bring my self to speak to either Alice or Jasper. However, they didn't know that I could speak, anyways. So, it wasn't too bad. At least I wasn't hurting them. She was, of course, bouncing from foot to foot excitedly. I just had to laugh at her. She actually reminded me a lot of Adele, except older. I stepped forward and hugged Jasper, much to his surprise. In the past, I'd generally stayed away from him. It was strange...he could calm me down, but make me feel nervous at the same time. It's not that he looked or acted in a way that would scare me, it was just the fact that he was a guy that I didn't know all that well. he awkwardly hugged me back, and I pulled away from him when it was getting to be too much, after only three seconds.

"So, what's with the boxes?" he asked in his Texas drawl. It was funny to hear the accent in New York, and also a little surprising that he'd managed to hang onto it for so long. The words had barely left his mouth when Alice let out another ear shattering squeal and yelled,

"Bella's moving in, isn't she?" she was jumping up and down again, and Jasper had pursed his lips to keep from laughing at her. I nodded shyly, moving closer to Edward. He looked down at me, smiling, and laced his fingers through mine, giving my much smaller hand a gentle squeeze.

Cue ear-shattering scream from Tinker Bell.

**Edward's POV**

I looked down at Bella at my side, and a sudden thought hit me.

She was so young. She acted so mature, she was a single mother, she survived the concrete jungle practically by herself, and she'd had all of this crap happen to her.

She was only nineteen. Three years younger than me. It seemed like she was older than me, or at least the same age. It was...awe-inspiring. I know that if I had been in her place, I would've never been able to handle it all.

**Bella's POV**

Now came the biggest problem that I could see with Jasper and Alice. Telling them about Adele, and how she came about, and, well, everything. I had no clue of how to do it, or...  
Ugh.  
The day just kept getting more and more complicated, and I was starting to get a headache.

"So..." Edward began, glancing down at me, asking me if it was okay that he started. It was fine with me, letting him take the lead. I nodded after a moments pause, forgetting that he couldn't tell what I was thinking, letting him know that it was okay.

"Bella's not the only one moving in. We-we have a lot to tell you guys." He said, smiling a little sheepishly.

A few minutes later, we were all in the living room, me and Edward on the couch, my legs in his lap and me eating my favorite ice cream to help calm me down (it wasn't working), and Alice and Jasper sharing the easy chair on the other side of the coffee table.

"Alright, Bella has her freakin' ice cream. What's going on?" Alice growled the last few words, impatient as always. I rolled my eyes and shoveled another spoonful in. I loved her, but I needed my ice cream. Edward ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up even more than usual.

"I'm not sure where to start, really." He said. I swallowed the mouthful of ice cream, wondering if I could bring myself to talk. It was obvious that Edward wasn't going to be able to tell it all by himself. And, for that matter, he shouldn't have to. It was my story, not his. I chewed on my lip for a moment before shoveling in another scoop of ice cream.

_Come on, Bells. It's just Alice and Jazz. Your friends! You can do it!_ I thought to myself.

Still, I felt like throwing up.

I gulped, opened my mouth...and yawned.

_Coward. _I chided, snapping my mouth shut again. I glanced up at the other people in the room, and was surprised to see that everyone was looking at me.

"W-what?" I asked, trying not to think about it too much, saying it with my eyes clamped closed.

Alice screamed, not her usual cheery, excited squeal, but a real, shocked scream. And...Jasper was silent. I opened one eye to see him staring at me, his mouth open, ice blue eyes wide.

"Since when do you talk?" Alice yelled, jumping up off Jasper's lap. He didn't react to the movement at all, just kept staring at me in the same way. It didn't do anything to help me, just made me more nervous.

"Uh." I started, then changed direction. "Jazz, stop looking at me like that!" I intended to yell it, but that didn't work out quite right. Instead, it was barely above a whisper.

"It's only been a couple of weeks." Edward jumped in, answering Alice for me while Jasper started, and shook his head, trying to clear it, I guessed. Me, I took another huge bite of the ice cream, which was half melted by now. I peeked at Alice through my eyelashes. She had sat back down on the arm of the chair, looking hurt.

"Why didn't you tell me? Call me? Email me? Something..." she asked, sounding angry at first, then fading into sadness.

I'd realized that this would be hard, yes. But, I was starting to realize that if we weren't careful, I might lose Alice as a friend today. If this was the way she reacting to my sudden speaking, then what would she do when she found out about little Addie? I didn't even want to think about it. From the way that Edward was looking at me, I could tell he was thinking the same thing. But, it had to be done.

So, using both my voice and paper, and with the help of Edward, I told them about everything. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and that includes giving birth. But I would do it all again if I could change the outcome of it.

Alice sat in silence, on Jasper's lap, with a stunned look on her face.

"Bella, I'm so sorry you went through all that." Jasper said, looking concerned, and oblivious of his girlfriend. I gave him a little smile to thank him. But, it was a different story with Alice. She slowly shook her head.

"Bella, I want you to understand that I'm not judging you for what happened to you, or for having a little girl. No. I'm angry at you because you didn't tell me about this. I was supposed to be you best friend, and best friends don't hide their lives from each other." She said in an icy tone, then stood up.

"See you around." And then, she walked away, into the hall way, her shoes clicking softly on the floor. "Jazzy! Come on, we're leaving now." She yelled from the entry, tapping her foot impatiently. Reluctantly, Jasper stood up, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm not angry at you, a little disappointed, but...I have to go with Alice. I'll talk to you later. See ya round sometime, Edward." He said, just as Alice yelled again. He left the room as well, and a minute later, we heard the door slam. It was quiet for a moment, then Edward said,

"Well. That went well." I didn't answer him. Not that he really needed answer, but...instead, I stood up, not looking at him, and walked away. Out of the room, up the stairs, into our room. I shut the door, slowly, mechanically took out a pair of his shorts and one of his tee shirts. I changed in the bathroom. Just as I finished pulling the shirt on a soft knock came at the door.

"Bells? Are you okay?" his voice, soft, pure velvet, and musical all at the same time, came through the door. I didn't answer, once again. I took the elastic band out of my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders. I took it out too fast, and it hurt, taking several strands of hair with it, put I didn't care. I was numb. I'd hurt Alice. I probably lost her. All because of my own selfishness.

Edward knocked again, a little louder this time. I opened the door, but didn't look at him.

"Bella..." he started, but I walked past him, and crawled into our bed, buried myself under the covers. Somewhere in my mind, I knew that this was wrong, that I was pushing Edward away, but it didn't register. All I could think about was that I wanted to curl up and sleep, then wake up and find out that this had all been a bad dream.

**Edward's POV**

I felt helpless, again. That's a terrible feeling. I had no clue what to do, of how to snap her out of this. And...I knew that she'd gotten herself into this by herself, that this really was her fault. Not that I blamed her for what happened with Brandon, but...seriously. She didn't tell her best friend about her daughter. That's just asking for trouble.

But, on the other hand...I think I understood. I think she did it because she was confused, and scared, and frustrated. Bella was eighteen when she moved here, and she'd already been through everything with Brandon, and had given Adele up to her Mom. She knew how she'd be treated if people knew about Adele, and she didn't want that. Bella...Bella has a lot of pride. She doesn't like being pitied, no matter what's happened to her. She was alone, except for her brother and Rose, and she wanted to be accepted.

But, on the other hand....

Wait. There is no other hand, is there? I felt a headache starting to come on as I tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs. I would give her oh...an hour. An hour alone, and then I would try to comfort her, or to help her fix things with my cousin, or...whatever she needed.

**Jasper's POV**

I followed Alice out the doors of Edward's apartment building and climbed into the passenger's seat of her yellow Porsche. Alice loved her car, but didn't drive it very much. Edward lived in a quieter section of the city, more residential, and I liked it, as did Alice. It was easier to drive around here.

I was still trying to take in everything that Bella had told us. She'd been nervous, and guilty about it all, I could tell. And, she'd gotten the reaction she was afraid of getting from Alice. I glanced over at my Alice. She was fuming. I could see it clearly in her body language, and I could almost feel the waves of anger coming off her. Alice was...angry, to say the least, about Bella practically lying to us for the past year. I wasn't angry, as I'd told Bella. Just a little disappointed that didn't trust us enough to tell us about that part of her life.

"I can't believe this!" Ali yelled, hitting the steering wheel with the palm of her small hand. She swerved around a corner and I grabbed the dashboard. This was one of those days when I wished that A. I was driving or B. We were walking.

"Alice, be careful!" I yelled, grabbing the wheel and pulling the car back into the right lane as the person in that lane leaned on their horn. "Either get a grip or pull over so I can drive, I'm begging you!"

"Seriously, Jazzy, it's one thing to not tell your best friend about oh, a weird speech thing you had when you were a kid. But not telling her about your child?"

"Alice. I'm serious, calm down and _think. _What would you do, what would you be feeling if you were in her place when she moved here last year? Huh?" I asked. I think I had a pretty good idea. I've always been good at reading people's emotions. It was almost like...like I could feel them myself.

Slowly, very slowly, her driving became calmer, and her mood changed. She pulled up to my building and leaned her forehead against the steering wheel. Personally, I was amazed she was tall enough to see over the dashboard. When I asked about that, she kicked me. I smiled remembering it.

"Oh, Jazzy...I've been terrible, haven't I?" she asked, not needing an answer. I leaned over and kissed her temple.

"I'm going to have to agree there. But, I think you can fix it. But, for now, I think that you should have some more cool down time, and give Bella some, okay? Why don't you call Rosalie?" I suggested, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Or, we could watch a movie, and I'll order takeout for dinner tonight. How about The Princess Bride? You love that movie." She sat up, and nodded.

"Movie night sounds good."

* * *

**Finally!!! Whew. I've been spoiling y'all with all those quick updates!!! haha. I finally got this one written, and it's actually a decent length too!! **

**Alright. THe updates will most likely be a bit slower from now on. You see, I'm taking the SATS next year. Very important. If I don't get a lot of school work done in the next few weeks, I'm stuck in summer school, and that would suck, am I right? **

**Now, I'm extremly tired, I'm also extremly sore from softball practice earlier. List of injuries: I hurt my arm last year. Every time I throw the ball more than ten feet, my shoulder hurts. And, I'm an outfielder. It really hurts tonight. I got hit directly in my left wrist with a ball. I have a huge, bloody blister on the back of my foot. I tripped and hurt my knee, AGAIN. **

**Oh, and I have to wake up early tomorrow!!! Review and cheer me up, please? **


	24. Chapter 23: You Are Beautiful, It's True

**The song for this chapter....Fields of Gold by...somebody. I'm not sure who the orignal artist was. IMPORTANT! Instrumental only, preferably piano. I actually have no idea what the lyrics for the song are, but I know that they won't make any sense for this chapter if you try to match them up. lol. There's a link on my profile to one, okay?**

* * *

Bella's POV

The next morning, I got a call from a crying Alice. She apologized a dozen times, and asked if I could ever forgive her, told me that this wasn't something to lose a friend like me over, and asked when she would get to meet Adele, all in five minutes. By the end of her monologue, I was laughing, and Edward was shaking his head at his cousin, who was on speaker phone without her knowing. I took a deep breath, preparing myself to speak, and said in a shaky voice,

"A month. She's coming in a month."

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

I was looking up at Brandon with tears in my eyes. He looked down at me, a mixture of shock, fear, and awe in his pretty light green eyes.

"Y-You're pregnant?" he asked, probably wondering if he'd misheard me. I nodded, the tears spilling over onto my cheeks. _He's going to hate me. He'll break up with me. _I thought, terrified of the thought.

Somewhere in my mind, I knew that this was fake, that it was all a dream. But, it kept playing out anyways.

"Shh. Don't cry." He said in a gentle tone, wrapping his arms around me. "You're sure?" I nodded again, crying a little harder. Brandon was quiet for a few minutes, and I could hear every beat of my heart throbbing in my ears.

"Don't worry. We're going to get through this, okay? I love you."

I woke up with a gasp. It was dark in the room, and Edward's arm was around my waist, his head snuggled into my shoulder. He was still asleep, and breathing softly. I sighed with relief that I hadn't woken him up. I lay awake, thinking about my dream and watching Edward sleep. He was so cute when he was asleep...and when he was breathing, for that matter. But, especially when he was asleep.

Then, there was the dream to think about. It had Brandon in it...but it wasn't another one of those terrifying ones where I relived the night of...of his death. I had to admit, it was nice to have a change. But...what was up with this one, this alternate universe dream? In a way, it was even worse than the others, even crueler, showing me the way things could've been. The way things were supposed to be, if things had happened differently.

I looked down at Edward's sleeping face and smiled. This was the way things should be. I wasn't supposed to be with Brandon, no matter how much I might've loved him before. I very carefully ran my fingers through Edward's hair. I loved doing it, loved the way his hair felt. He smiled in his sleep, but didn't wake up. I was glad he was sleeping so well tonight. I'd woken him up with my bad dreams the past four nights in a row. He deserved a break.

He sighed a soft, innocent and a child-like sound, and nuzzled my shoulder, still asleep. I smiled again and stifled a laugh.

Sleep sounded like a good idea now.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*. **

The next time I opened my eyes it was light outside, but Edward was still asleep in the same position. It took me a moment to realize what had woken me up. I looked to my left.

I screamed.

Alice screamed.

Edward woke up and yelled in surprise.

Jasper laughed and snapped a picture.

"What's going on?" Edward asked sleepily. "Why the hell are you two in our apartment at-" here Edward glanced at the clock "at 7:30 in the morning? It's Saturday!" he whined, glaring at his cousin, who just glared back.

"So? I'm taking _Bella_ shopping, so you can go back to sleep." At the word "shopping" my eyes widened and I frantically shook my head. Alice moved at the same time I did; she grabbed for me, and I hung on tight to Edward. Alice may be strong enough to drag me out of bed, but surely she couldn't be strong enough to drag both me _and _Edward out.

"Save me!" I squealed to Edward as Alice pulled on my arm. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me so Alice couldn't pull me away.

"Mine." He whispered in my ear as Alice let go with an annoyed huff.

"Isabella Marie Swan! _Get up! _And Edward, put a shirt on." Alice ordered in her scariest voice, which was actually pretty scary.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Forty-five minutes later, I was being dragged from shop to shop, and dragging Edward along with me. I'd begged, Edward begged, and I begged some more until Alice let him and Jasper come along. I had to smile at the cuteness of them. Despite the weird looks they were getting, Jasper was carrying Alice on his back down the street. Edward had offered to carry me, but I refused. I didn't really like a whole lot of attention...attention is a bad thing when you're as klutzy as I am.

"Oooh! Jazzy, go in here." Alice demanded, pointing at a small boutique on her left. He obeyed, like the good boyfriend that he was, and set her down when they were inside. Edward held the door open for me and laughed as Alice yanked on my arm, pulling me towards a dress she thought would look good on me.

Ten minutes later, she pushed me into a dressing room with five outfits to try on. I reluctantly put on the first, and looked in the mirror. Huh. I didn't look half bad, actually. I was wearing a pair of light blue jeans, and a red, long sleeved sweater dress that I personally thought was a little too short to be worn as a dress, but, it looked good over jeans. It had a V neckline that was a little lower than I would normally wear, but it wasn't too bad. It would probably look ten times better on Rose, though.

I stepped out of the dressing room, feeling a little shy.

"Ali?" I called softly, not seeing her.

"Come out here!" I heard her yell back. So, I did, looking at my feet. I heard a sharp intake of breath, and looked up through my hair. It was Edward, and he was staring at me, his mouth open.

"That bad?" I asked with a pained smile. He shook his head mutely.

"Bella, that's perfect! We're getting that one." Alice said from behind him. Edward stepped forward and kissed me, gentle as always, but underneath that, there was something...different about it, a little more _wanting_. He broke away sooner than I wanted him too.

"Get that one." He told me. I smiled, and nodded.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*. **

Time passed. A week, a week and a half. Counting down the days until Adele would be coming.

_"Hello?" my mom said, sounding...resigned. She knew it was me, she would've seen my name on the caller ID. _

_"Hi, Mom." I said, pushing back the familiar shaky feeling I always got when I talked to people. Something told me that it would never be quite as simple to talk as it had been before...things had happened, no matter how hard I tried. _

_"Hey, Baby. How are you?" she asked, making a point of making her voice casual. I sighed softly, moving the mouthpiece on my phone so she wouldn't hear. _

_"I'm fine, Mom. How's Adele?" I asked. Me, I wasn't really one for small talk. After depending on my hands for so long, I'd gotten out of the habit of using it anyways. My mom sighed, not even attempting to hide it. _

_"She's doing okay. She misses you and 'Daddy,' though." She admitted sadly. "Phil and I just aren't enough anymore." _

_It seemed like Emmett was right about this. My mom was lonely. For a moment, I felt a little selfish. I had given Adele to her, had given my mom joy, and now I was taking her away again. But Addie was my baby girl! I needed her, maybe more than my mom did. Adele was my daughter, not hers, and it was time I started acting like a mother who deserved such a wonderful daughter. _

_"I'm so sorry, Mom. She'll always love you guys, you know that." I assured her. I was upstairs, trying to pick a color for Adele's room while Edward was giving a lesson downstairs. _

_"Yeah...I know." Mom sighed. I shook my head and went on. _

_"Well...I'm moved in at Edward's now. We're thinking that we'll be ready for Adele to come in about a month?" I said it like a question, because I was nervous about what my mom would say. It was quiet for what seemed like years, and I sat down on the edge of the bed. _

_"Mom?" I finally asked, wondering if she'd passed out or something. _

_"So soon?" she asked in a whisper. I wasn't sure how much longer I could talk to her without breaking down on this. _

_"Yeah, mom. Look, I have to go now. Think about it and call me later, okay? Bye. Love you." I didn't even wait for her to answer before I hung up. Feeling incredibly guilty, I walked out of the room and tiptoed down the stairs to get a drink from the kitchen. _

That was the first time I'd ever hung up on anyone, much less my Mom. I was surprised that she hadn't called me back three minutes later and yelled at me about it, actually.

My mom had called back a couple days later, and reluctantly told me that she could have Addie ready to move in a month.

Now, in the present, Edward and I were still trying to pick out paint colors for her room. It was going to be the same one that she'd stayed in before, but, since the stay was permanent this time, we were trying to make it more personal, more...little girl-ish.

"How about this one?" Edward asked, pointing to a pale pink. I looked at it, and thought about Adele, then shook my head. It just didn't seem to fit. Her furniture was all painted white, so we wouldn't have to worry about that part, at least. So far, Edward and I had been sitting on the bed in her future room for an hour, and getting nowhere.

"That one?" he asked, sounding frustrated and pointing wildly. I looked down at the one his finger was on.

"Neon green? Really?" I asked, an eyebrow raised. He glanced down and groaned, and let himself flop down backwards on the bed.

"Why don't we just wait until she gets here and let _her _choose?" he asked, his arm over his eyes. I giggled. He was being so overly dramatic about this. But...that wasn't a bad idea, really.

"Sure, why not?" I asked, lying down on my stomach, and propping myself up with my elbows. He moved his arm and peeked out at me with one eye.

"What?"

"Why not let her choose? Have her pick...oh, five different colors that she likes, then we could choose from those." I suggested. He was quiet for a moment, then smiled.

"We could try that." He said. "But...I think it would be a bad idea to let her help with the painting." He made a face, and I had to laugh.

"Are you remembering the yogurt incident?" I asked. He nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. That was terrible. Imagine trying to get that much paint off her!" he said, looking horrified. I burst out laughing. There was one major difference between Edward and I; He was neat, I was not. I didn't really mind if there were a few clothes on the floor, as long as they eventually got picked up. With Edward, there couldn't even be a single sock on the floor.

_"Bella!" I heard a groan from the living room. I peered around the corner, and there was Edward, scooping up my dishes from breakfast that morning and straightening out the newspaper stack. _

_"What? I was going to get those later." I shrugged. He passed me on his way to the kitchen and I heard him rinsing out the dishes and putting them into the dishwasher. Then, he came back into the living room and hurriedly folded the blanket lying in a heap on the couch and placed carefully over the back of the chair. He looked around, his arms crossed over his chest._

_"There." He smiled. Then he looked down. I saw him bite his lip and then he bent down and retrieved my socks from under the coffee table. _

_"Bella!" he said, exasperation apparent in his voice, holding them up. I rolled my eyes at him and crossed the room. I snatched them out of his hands and marched up the stairs and put them hamper. _

_"Oh no! Edward, don't come up here, the cap is off the tube of toothpaste and I'm afraid you'd have a heart attack if you saw it!" I yelled from our room, my voice amused. _

_"Very funny, Bells!" he yelled from the kitchen._

There was one exception to his neatness. His office. It was almost always a complete mess. I think it was because of how absorbed he was by his piano.

_"I'm going to go and get a drink, okay?" _I signed to him, not because I needed to, but because he'd asked me to keep teaching him sign language. His eyes watched my movements closely, and when I was finished, he nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to go play for a little while." He said, almost like he was talking to himself. When he was playing his piano, or thinking about playing it, it was like he was in his own little world.

He kissed me, then got up and went downstairs. I looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then followed him. I went into the kitchen and got a water bottle out of the fridge, then leaned against the counter, looking at the pictures covering the front of it while I took sips of the water. There were some of Alice and Edward, it was obvious how close they were, even if they didn't see each all that often. A few of his parents, a couple of Carlisle and Esme, and some of Edward and Esme. Then...then there were quite a few of me. There was one of me, pouting. I think that was one of the first he'd taken of me. There was one of me curled up in Edward's, no, _our _bed, still asleep, my hair looking like a haystack. In the next one I was having a tea party with Adele, in Florida. I had a plastic tiara on my head, and neither me or Adele were looking at the camera. There was the one of me and him kissing on the beach that Emmett had taken, my favorite.

There were a lot of Adele too. My favorite of just her was the one on the yogurt day. She looked like she was about to cry, and was reaching out towards the camera, Edward. There was one of her and me, taking a nap in the easy chair here. In another, she was "playing" Edward's piano, and then the one next to it was one of him holding her on his lap and playing it for her. He'd composed a lullaby for her. He was working on getting it published, and then he was going to record it for her. And then, there was one of Christmas morning, of her sitting in Edward's lap. They were so...precious. My two favorite people in the world, together.

I smiled, looking at that picture. Soon, we would be a family. I couldn't wait.

I screwed the cap back onto the water bottle and walked down the hall to Edward's office. He was playing a beautiful song, one that I'd never heard before. I leaned against the door frame and watched him. His eyes were closed, and he was smiling my favorite crooked smile while he played.

After a few more moments of his beautiful playing, the song ended, to my dismay. He opened his eyes and looked up, saw me there, and smiled again with my favorite smile.

"Come here." He said, opening his arms to me. I smiled back at him and walked over. He pulled me onto he bench, making room for me between his legs. He wrapped one arm around my waist, and his other hand traced the piano keys thoughtfully.

"That's your song." He said after a moment of silence.

"Mine?" I asked, honestly surprised. "It's so beautiful..." I trailed off.

"Just like you." he murmured, kissing my temple.

"I'm not beautiful." I said without thinking. It was quiet for a minute.

"You don't see yourself accurately then. Bella, you're the most beautiful girl in the world." He sounded sincere, and his voice had turned to pure velvet again. I sighed.

"You have to say that. You're my boyfriend." I pointed out. He laughed, the sound just as musical and beautiful as his playing.

"You'll see, someday. I'll make sure of it.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

The bells on the door of the shop tinkled cheerfully, and I looked up automatically. I had been reading "The Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien in my spare time. I smiled. It was Edward...but, he wasn't alone.

"Bella, this is my old friend, Derek. Derek, this is my girlfriend, Bella." He introduced me to the man he had with him. He was a little bit shorter than Edward, but had the same build. Derek had red, curly hair, and brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." He said, holding his hand out to me to shake. I looked at for a minute, then, against my will, shook it. I knew I was supposed to say something to him, greet him, answer in some way, but I found myself completely tongue-tied. I couldn't speak when he was in hearing distance. It just wasn't possible. I managed to give him a small smile instead.

"Hey, Bells, can I talk to you for a minute?" Edward asked. I nodded, grabbed my old marker board and dry erase marker off the counter, and followed him to the back of the shop.

_"I can't make myself talk around him. I'm sorry." _I wrote right away. He read the writing and nodded.

"It's okay, I understand. But...What would you say to him living with us?" he asked, looking like he was preparing for an explosion. I frowned.

**Edward's POV**

She wasn't happy, I could tell that right off the bat. But...she didn't seem to be furious. That was a good thing, I think. I went on, quickly.

"He just got evicted, Bells. It wouldn't be for a long time, just until he can find a new place. I've known him for years, Bella, I can't just let him down." I pleaded. I'd met Derek my freshman year of highschool. We'd been friends ever since. He'd helped me out like this before, now it was my turn to help. Bella erased the last thing she'd written on her board and wrote something else, very quickly.

_"Okay. You're paying the rent, anyways. If you want him to stay with us, that's fine with me."_

**Bella's POV**

How was I supposed to tell Edward that I had a bad feeling about his friend? I'd known him for what, three minutes? And how do I explain bad vibes? (I know, cheesy, but what can I say? I grew up with Renee.) It was going to be forever... just temporary. I could live with this guy for a few days, right?

What was the worst thing that could happen?

* * *

**Alright, so this chapter was almost all fluff, but hey. Bella and Edward deserve it. I know....the make up between Alice and Bella sucked. Oh well....**

**Enter Derek! Yeah. I've this idea in my head for a few weeks now and I finally got to put things into motion with him. =) **

**Thanks for all those wonderful reviews!!!! They really make me happy. Can I have some more please?**

**So. I'm seriously thinking about changing the name of this story. I mean...when I first started writing this story, I wasn't planning on having Bella speak until the last chapter. But, obviously, things have changed. "Speechless" just isn't a very fitting name anymore, you know? I have a new poll on my profile, go and vote on it, please? THe name I'm thinking about now is on there. **

**Another thing I've been thinking about lately. I'm very, very surprised that NOBODY has asked me about Brandon KING. Ring a bell, anyone? **

**REVIEW**


	25. Chapter 24: Never, Never

**Edward's POV**

"So, what's up with your girlfriend? Doesn't she talk?" Derek asked me as I unlocked the door to me and Bella's apartment. Bella was still at work, she'd practically shoved me out onto the street to make me take Derek home and show him around.

"_I'll be fine. I'll be home a little after nine." _She'd written. I was a little worried about this fallback with her talking, but there wasn't much I could do. She would get used to Derek after a while, right?

"Sort of." I answered him. "But don't be surprised or offended if she doesn't talk to you much." I added, opening the door and dropping my keys on the table.

"Why?" he asked, sounding a little confused. I sighed. Derek never could let things lie.

"It's not my story to tell, okay?" I hoped that he'd leave it be after that, and he did. I could tell he still wanted to know, but that was just too bad for him. I had an idea of how much trouble I'd be in if I told him without Bella's permission. Sleeping on the couch? Or, sleeping in the hall? I thought the latter would be more suiting, and I didn't like either of them.

I gave Derek the tour of the house, ending with the kitchen. He stopped in front of the fridge and looked over the pictures.

"Who's that?" he asked, pointing at the picture of me and Adele on Christmas morning. I opened the fridge and got out a couple cokes, passing one to Derek before answering.

"That's Adele. She's Bella's little girl." I answered, opening my soda. I knew Derek would probably want a beer, but I didn't have any. Bella was the one buying groceries now, and she wasn't old enough to buy it, and I didn't like it enough to go on a special trip to get it. He stared at me with raised eyebrows.

"She has a daughter? She can't be more than twenty one." He said in a disbelieving tone.

"Actually, Bella is nineteen." I pointed out, staring at a picture of her. Derek whistled.

"Damn. I knew she was younger than you, but not _that_ young." He commented.

"Alright, well, I told Bells I would bring dinner, so....We'll be home a little after nine. Help yourself to anything in the fridge." I said, tossing the soda can into the trash and walking out the door. That was when I noticed that Bella hadn't taken her jacket when she left that afternoon. Perfect, I had an excuse now.

I walked out of the apartment and out into the street, thinking. I'd really changed a lot since the last time I'd seen Derek. Or...had _he_ changed? Had we both? I thought that the last was probably the most likely. I wasn't watching where I was going and accidentally bumped into someone. The man yelled at me to watch where I was walking, then flipped me off before I could even open my mouth to start to apologize. For a moment I considered yelling back at him, but then I burst out laughing as I saw that he was holding the hand of a little girl.

I pushed open the door to the bookshop a few minutes later. Bella's eyes flew up to meet mine. She frowned.

"What are you doing back here?" she asked, sounding a little angry. No. Angry was bad. I held up the jacket.

"You left it at the apartment. And Derek kinda wanted some time on his own." I told her, leaning against the edge of the counter. A little white lie wouldn't hurt, and I didn't want to tell her the real reason why I left. Her frown softened and she smiled a little.

"I'm glad you came back." She admitted, blushing a little.

**Bella's POV**

He walked around to the other side of the counter to hug me and I held out my arms to him. He hugged me tightly, but no so tight that he crushed me, then picked up my writing board and plopped down in his chair. I froze. I'd written, to myself, my complaints on it, and hadn't erased it yet. Great. This was just what I needed tonight. I watched him as he read it, a slight frown on his face.

"Bells..." he started, glancing between me and the stupid marker board. I snatched it out of his hands and quickly erased everything I'd written with a tissue. It didn't really matter though. The damage was done already.

"Bella, you've only known him for what, an hour? And been with him for ten minutes? How can you already think this badly of him?" Edward asked, his voice a mix of disappointment and disbelief. I knew that under it, he was slightly angry, and I was a little scared. It made me unable to speak, to my dismay, so I picked up one of the markers next to me on the counter.

_"Bad vibes. They're real, not just something that hippies made up when they were high." _I wrote, my hand shaking imperceptibly, but it showed in my writing. It was even messier than it usually was. I wondered if he would notice as I handed it to him. I saw that he still frowned, a little more than he had before, as he took it. His eyes scanned the line quickly, and the corners of his mouth twitched, just a little bit, before he was frowning again.

"I guess I'll have to live with that. He'll only be around for a few days anyways. And It's not like I'm expecting you two to be best friends or anything." He said, sounding a little absent minded. I took back my voice, A.K.A my marker board, and wrote one word.

_"Okay." _

He looked at me, his bright eyes holding mine. They were confused, and hurt. The hurt made them even more breathtaking than they always were, but he didn't say anything else.

We didn't really say much after that little "conversation." He went to go pick up dinner after a little while, and we ate in silence. I was getting more anxious as every silent second ticked by. By the time it was closing time, I was on the edge of hysterics.

_"Why don't you like Newton?" Brandon asked as he drove us back to his house after school. I shrugged. _

_"He kind of annoys me. It's like he won't leave me alone." I said as he pulled into his drive way. I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me. Suddenly, Brandon was next to me. I hadn't even known he could move that fast. He was holding my arm too tight, his fingers sure to leave bruises. _

_"Well, he's my friend, so he's your friend too, got it?" he said in an even tone, anger barely breaking through his voice. I nodded meekly and he let me go, giving me a subtle shove forwards, one that someone walking by wouldn't notice_._ Not expecting it, I fell forwards, my hands shooting out to break my fall. My palms were scraped, and my knee throbbed. _

He's having a bad day. _I told my self, pushing my self up onto my feet again. He was already unlocking the front door. _He told you about how he's having trouble with his history, remember? If he fails the next test he's off the basketball team. _I reminded myself, justifying his actions in my mind. I wasn't even sure if he'd pushed me, really. I'd probably tripped over my own feet again. _

_A few minutes later, up in his room, he leaned forward and kissed me gently. _

_"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, really. I had a bad day." He told me. _

It was the same every time. And I excepted it every time. I'd eaten the lie, and I'd known it too. I looked around. Edward and I were already halfway back to the apartment by now.

"Are you angry at me?" Edward asked me, stopping suddenly. It was then that I noticed we weren't touching at all, my hands jammed in the pockets of the letterman's that he'd given me, his arms hanging loosely by his sides.

"You're angry at me." I said softly, letting a little of my nervousness, and my sadness from the latest memory seep into my voice. People were moving all around us, walking by us on every side, paying no mind to us. We were islands in the stream.

Edward's feature's softened, his entire body slumped, and the fire that fueled his eyes seemed to go out. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and hugged me, hugged me very tightly.

"No." he said, his voice relieved and sad. "No, never. Never, Never."

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.***.

When we got home, Derek was watching TV, well, he was flipping, stopping on a channel for ten seconds then moving on. His feet were up on the coffee table, and he had a bag of potato chips next to him. Edward plopped down next to him.

_"I'm going to take a shower." _I signed to Edward. I just couldn't make myself speak. Edward's signing lessons were going very well. He had a very large vocabulary by now.

"Okay. We'll probably still be down here." He answered, flashing me my favorite crooked smile. It was impossible not to smile back before I turned and walked up the stairs.

"What'd she say?" I heard Derek ask. Edward answered and I heard the rustle of the chip bag. I went into me and Edward's room and locked the door behind me. It felt kind of weird to me, showering while someone else was in the house. I dug out my regular PJs, a blue cotton tee-shirt, and a pair of Edward's boxers. He'd laughed the first time I'd worn them, but insisted on it.

"I like it. You're so cute in my clothes." He'd told me, smiling his crooked smile, his eyes twinkling. But, it was different tonight. It wasn't just me and Edward in the apartment. So, I grabbed a pair of my pants to wear over them for now.

I got into the bathroom and started the water, waiting for it to warm up, and looked around the bathroom. Was it just me, or had my shampoo bottle been on the other side of the shower this morning? I bit my lip, then shook my head. Maybe Edward had moved it. Or, I was just going crazy. What did it matter anyways? It was a shampoo bottle.

Thirty minutes later, I walked downstairs, rubbing my hair with a towel. I had a feeling I would be going to bed early tonight.

I sat down in the easy chair, criss cross, and started on combing my hair out. I smiled when I noticed what Derek had finally stopped on, it seemed. Re-runs of "Boy Meets World." A good episode too. I was engrossed in the show; I hadn't watched this in ages, when I felt eyes on me. I turned my head, and just caught Derek looking away hurriedly. Edward's eyes were on the TV. I shivered, suddenly cold. Why had Derek been staring at me? I stood up, not interested in the show anymore.

_I'm tired. I'm going to bed now." _I signed, and waited for Edward to translate. He did, and then added that he was getting tired too. It was almost 10:30 by now anyways.

"Okay. Night. Oh, and thanks again for letting me crash here." Derek said, glancing at Edward as he stood up, then at me, his eyes lingering a little longer on me.

"No problem." Edward said, while I nodded shyly.

Edward followed me up the stairs and into our room. When we were inside I pulled off the pants I was wearing over his boxers. Before he fully registered all of what I was doing, Edward's eyes popped out a little. I snickered, rolling my eyes.

"Nope. Sorry." I told him, my voice still a little softer than usual. I folded the pair of pants I'd been wearing before and opened one of the drawers in our shared dresser to put them away, and frowned. I hadn't noticed before, but it seemed like the clothes were a lot messier than they'd been before. I shrugged it off and stuffed the pair of pants in anyways.

Edward's arms snaked around my waist from behind, and he rested his chin on the top of my head. I smiled without really realizing it; it was the natural reaction to Edward. I turned around in his arms, and he kissed me, softly at first, but then...we got caught up. I tangled my fingers in his hair, and his hands slid down to my waist. I wasn't fighting to keep back the flashbacks, like usual, in fact...I wasn't really even thinking at all, to tell the truth. One of his hands rested on my stomach, and I didn't panic. He kissed me more slowly now, concentrating on taking things slowly, not making any unexpected moves. After a moment, he'd pushed my shirt up past my belly button, and his hand was on my bare stomach. It felt like it was burning my skin, but I didn't mind. I was proud of myself. He pulled away, resting his forehead against mine now, his hand still on my stomach.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying to catch his breath, like I knew I was. We'd forgotten to breath, it seemed. I nodded. I was holding everything back...barely. I knew it would take practice.

"I think that's far enough for tonight, though." I said, still not moving, my eyes closed. Edward chuckled softly.

"Far enough for tonight." He repeated. I could tell that he was proud of me too. "I love you, Bella."

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

I lay awake, looking up at the ceiling. It was two in the morning, and I'd just woken up from a repeating nightmare. I sighed. Today I'd taken one step forward, and two steps back, it seemed. Fortunately, I hadn't screamed like I usually did, so both Edward and Derek were still sleeping soundly. I knew I wouldn't be getting back to sleep soon, so I thought.

In my mind, Edward "testing the waters" was both good and bad. Good, because, well, I wanted to be with him. I didn't want to have panic attack if Edward accidentally touched me the wrong way, and when he started testing things, I got more comfortable with him. Bad, because before too long, we'd have to have the talk. The one where we had to discuss where we stood on sex, and all that good stuff. I was not looking forward to that.

I thought about all the things that I had to do before Adele came. We had to stock up on toys and movies; most of her stuff was staying at my mom's for when she visited. I started making a mental list. Movies- The Lion King, Monster's INC, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella....

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Bella..." a voice said in my ear. I groaned and smacked the person with the back of my hand. There was silence, beautiful silence for a single moment...then roaring laughter. I opened my eyes. Edward was laughing, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cradled his nose. I gasped, suddenly wide awake, and clapped my hands over my mouth. From the room at the end of the hall, I heard a faint,

"Edward! Shut up!" Apparently Derek wasn't a morning person either. I sat up and yawned, stretching. It was a new day, and hopefully I'd gain those two steps back.

* * *

**Ugh. I can't believe how long it took me to get that chapter out. Sorry!!**

**And, that little bit with our dear Edward "Testing the waters" was sooo weird for me to write. Was it okay? I'm a little anxious about that bit. **

**So...thanks to all of y'all who reviewed!! you're amazing =)**

**Okay, a lot of you voted NO to the name change. Why are y'all so opposed to the name change? Why is the title "Speechless" so great? To tell the truth, it was just a temporary name when I started this fic. I couldn't think of anything else at the time. **

**Something that I need to clear up. That song that I said was for the last chapter? I forgot to mention that that was supposed to be "Bella's Lullaby." At least, for me, it is. Oops! Well, you know now =)**

**Now...I need sleep. Review, my darlings, review!**


	26. Chapter 25: no cool name for this one

**Bella's POV**

Derek had been with us for three days already. Edward and I had around two weeks until Adele was going to be moving in. I avoided Derek as much as I could, but he just seemed to pop up all over the place. I couldn't talk to him. With most people, I could get used to them after a few days. Not with Derek. He creeped me out.

I was upstairs. I was trying to get ready for work, but I was having a little trouble. I walked downstairs to where Edward was practicing in his office, and knocked on the open door to let him know I was there. He looked up at me.

"Have you seen my blue sweater? The one Rose gave me for Christmas?" I asked. I couldn't find it to save my life. He shook his head.

"Sorry, Bells." I just nodded absent mindedly and walked back up the stairs to pick out a different shirt to wear, frowning.

An hour later, I sat behind the counter at the bookstore, reading. There were a couple of people milling about the shop, quietly sliding books off the shelves, flipping them open, and then putting them back. I liked this, just minding my own business while other people around me did the same. I wasn't alone, but I wasn't really with anyone either.

"Excuse me?" a middle aged woman stood in front of the counter. I hadn't even heard her approach. I set my book down, and looked up at her with a smile. She didn't speak for a moment.

"Can you help me find these books?" she finally asked, sounding a little impatient, and thrust a piece of paper at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and took it, glancing over it. Easy enough. I nodded, slipping down from my stool. I heard a faint huff from behind me, and I bit my lip. When people like this came along, I was caught between annoyance and amusement. On the one hand, it was annoying how rude they acted. On the other, it was funny how badly they wanted a complete stranger to talk to them. I wordlessly went down the list of books, handing each to her while she quizzed me with annoying questions, none of which I answered. Finally, the woman fuming, I started to ring up the books for her, then stopped to write something on my marker board. I set it against my pencil cup and continued with my work, glancing up at her through my eyelashes. I bit back a laugh as I watched her read the board. Her eyes widened and her mouth snapped shut. Her cheeks and the tops of her ears turned read. As soon as she'd paid and I'd wrapped the books up in the brown paper for her, she turned on her heel and left.

I shook my head and went back to my book. Those two little words could do amazing things to people. I cocked my head to the side for a minute, then grabbed the board and erased my words.

_"I'm mute."_

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"Bella!" I looked up from my book. It was a little after six. Edward was probably half way through with the last lesson of the day. This was Rosalie. I smiled and waved as she walked towards the counter. It seemed like she'd just come from a shoot; she was wearing black leather, four inch heel boots a red dress, and her makeup was obviously done by a pro. Not that she couldn't do it herself...it was just too perfect. And her hair was curled. She never curled her hair herself. Rose leaned against the counter with an annoyed look on her face.

"Stupid, annoying photographer. 'You're not doing it right! Move your foot three inches to the left!'" she mimicked, making me laugh. "But, hey, on the way here some guy fell down the stairs to a subway station because he was staring at me." I clapped my hands over my mouth. I hoped the poor guy wasn't hurt too bad. Rose laughed. This was a regular thing for her, guys gawping at her.

"Is Emmett working?" I asked, pointing at the bean bag chair. "Sit down." Rose did, tucking her legs under with the kind of grace I could never have.

"Yeah." She answered my question a little sadly. I knew she was lonely; she and Emmett had been inseparable for as long I could remember. Longer, in fact. Since before I was born. She was used to being away from him for a few hours at a time while she working, but he was gone most night, and later than ever, with his new job.

_"I'm sorry." _I signed, an apologetic look on my face. She sighed, allowing herself to look sad for another moment, then shook it off and smiled.

"It's okay. I did come here for a reason, though. I wanted to ask you something." She looked down and twisted her ring. I was still shocked that Emmett had actually stepped up and proposed. I mean, I knew that he loved her more than anyone, or anything else on the planet, that was obvious, but...out of the two of us, all though he was physically older, I've always acted more mature. When it was just me and mom for those few years, I was more of the mother in the relationship. I took after Charlie, Emmett took after Renee. They're both...free spirited, and they don't seem to be tied down by the same rules and worries that the rest of us are. I know that no matter how old either of them live to be, they're souls will be forever young.

Although, there are times when both of them, Emmett more so, that they act their age, older, wiser even. They never cease to amaze me.

_A sharp pain shot through my body, and I dropped the plate I was drying. I placed a hand on my stomach. There was still a week until my due date, but..._

_"Are you okay, Bells?" Emmett poked his head into the kitchen, brought by the sound of the plate smashing. He crossed the room and scooped me up, setting my on the counter._

_"I'll clean it up. I have shoes on, you don't." he reasoned, looking around for the broom. I waved my hand at him and he stopped while I looked for a piece of paper and a pen. I found a sharpie, that would do. _

"I think it's time." _I wrote, and held out the envelope to him. His eyes widened, and he grinned. _

_"Really? You think she's going to come to today?" he asked eagerly. I nodded. _

_"Okay. You have your bag packed, right?" I groaned. That was one of the things that I'd meant to do this morning. I shook my head. _

_"I'll call Rosie, and she'll stop by and put one together for you, okay?" I nodded, and gasped as another contraction hit me. Emmett let me dig my finger nails into his forearm until it passed, and glanced at the clock. _

_"That one was at 2:27, okay? Make sure I know when the next one comes." I just nodded as he scooped me up into his arms again and carried me out of the house and set me in the passenger seat of his car._

He'd been so calm, throughout that whole day, and partway into the night. He'd been twenty at the time, and handled it perfectly. Not a lot of guys could do that, I knew, particularly for their sister.

So, I have to revise my statement from before. He and Renee's souls weren't young. They were...ageless. Both young and old at the same time. Innocent, and wise.

Well, know that I've made myself sound like an idiot...

"Go on..." I prompted Rose. There wasn't anyone here right now, so I didn't feel guilty about talking with her, and I wasn't tongue-tied.

"Um...would you be my maid of honor?" she asked, still twisting the ring. I actually laughed out loud.

"Rose, do you really think I'd say no?" I asked, looking at her like she was crazy. She shrugged.

"I don't know, Bella, the whole thing has me nervous, I guess..." she said, still looking down at her ring. I raised an eyebrow. Where was the confident, fearless Rosalie Lillian Hale I'd known my entire life? I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but she didn't wait for me to ask. I guessed that she'd had this on her chest for awhile now, and after it had started, she just couldn't stop.

"I mean, really, I never expected him to actually propose. You know Emmett! He's just a really big kid! I love him, I really do, but I wasn't ready for this." She stopped to take a breath, and stood up, starting to pace.

"And, think about my mom and dad. Think about what they're going to expect. By their standards, a wedding isn't a real wedding unless it has at _least _two hundred people attending, preferably more, in a huge church...all of that fancy crap. And that's what everyone, everywhere will be expecting of _the _Rosalie Hale, not just my parents. There will be newspaper articles about me getting married...photographers sneaking into the wedding if I don't invite them..." She plopped back down in the chair, not at all graceful now.

"Bella, I don't want that. You know me. My mom always wanted me to be a delicate, fragile, dainty little girl. Why do you think my name is 'Rosalie?' I never was. I played football with Emmett, I worked on cars with my dad, I climbed trees...I don't want a huge wedding. I don't know how to tell that to people, particularly my mom. I think dad will understand." She started to chew on her fingernails, something that she hadn't done in years. I slid down off my stool and pulled her up to her feet by her hands and hugged her.

"Rose, hon, you need to breathe. Calm down. Have you talked to Emmett about this at all?" She shook her head. I held her at arms length.

"Well, you need to. And two more things. First, you know that Alice and I will help you. You know Ali will want to plan practically everything, so all you really need to do is tell us what you want and show up in time to be tortured." I coughed. "I mean, made up, and walk down the aisle. The second is that this is _your _wedding. What do the wants of your mother matter? She had her turn."

Rose gaped at me.

"What?" I asked, wondering if there was something in my teeth.

"That's the most you've said to me in three years." She said quietly.

Then, before I knew it, Rose had burst into tears and was sobbing on my shoulder. I stood there like a statue for a moment. Like Charlie, I'd never been good at dealing with emotions, not even my own.

"Oh, Rose...Don't cry." I said, in what was hopefully a soothing tone, and rubbed her back.

"I-I" she blubbered. Luckily, her make-up was waterproof. Jeez. She was still beautiful, even when she was such a mess.

"I'm sorry, Bella!" she sobbed, slowly getting a hold of herself. I was quiet, just rubbing small circles on her back until she straightened and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She laughed a little.

"Wow. I'm so, so sorry, Bella. I wasn't expecting that either, don't worry." She shook herself and put on a smile. "I'm fine now. And, I need to get going." I nodded, and we hugged again. She was at the door when she turned around again.

"You know...thanks for listening to me." she said quietly. I waved it away. She was practically my sister! What was I supposed to do, dig out the duct tape?

"Emmett and I looking for a house. A real house, not an apartment. We can afford it, between the two of us. Just thought I'd let you know." I smiled. I was so happy for them. Planning a wedding and house hunting. Who knew my brother would ever settle down?

She turned and was halfway out the door when she stopped again.

"Oh, and Bella? I don't know much about the wedding, but...will Adele be the flower girl?" I laughed and nodded.

"Duh! Now go!" I said, rolling my eyes and shooing her with my hand. She stuck her tongue out at me and left.

I sighed, sitting back down on my stool. What a conversation.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

**Two days later**

"Ugh!" I yelled, flopping down on the bed. Two of my shirts were gone, plus the sweater. Where did they go? If Adele was here, I'd think that she hid them.

But, she wasn't, and I was annoyed.

"Edward!" I yelled, stomping down the stairs. Then, because it's me, I tripped and rolled down the last three stairs...straight into Derek. He yelped and fell on top of me, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

Then next thing I knew, I was lying on something much more comfortable than the floor, and I could breath again.

"Dude, is she gonna be okay?" That was Derek, sounding panicked. My eyes were still shut; my eyelids felt too heavy to open just yet.

"She'll be fine, now would you please shut up? Look, she's waking up now." That was Edward, sounding a little worried, but not so much as Derek. He knew me well enough not to panic every time I tripped or passed out or bled. I opened my eyes slowly and looked up into the face of Edward himself. His eyes were amused. I started to sit up, but he pushed me down again.

"Nope, not yet. Just lie here for a minute. Breathe." When he said that, he turned to glare at Derek, who looked guilty.

_"I'm fine." _I signed angrily, and pushed Edward's arm away, sitting up. The room spun for a minute, but it passed.

"Bella, I'm so sorry!" Derek said, standing up. I just shrugged and walked away. I didn't need to be in the same room as him anymore, not after being so close to him a few moments before.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Bells. I have to go and get a music sheet for one of my students tomorrow." Edward told me, and bent down to kiss my cheek. I nodded, and smiled at him. Before too long, the door slammed, and I knew he was gone. I took a quick shower, then I walked down the stairs again, much more carefully this time. I didn't trip on the way down, and I walked into the kitchen. I was feeling a little hungry...

I started peeling an orange when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Did I not hear Edward come in? But, something felt a little off. I turned around, and gasped. Nope, not Edward, but Derek. I started to pull away, but before I could even blink, he leaned forward and kissed me, really kissed me, like I hadn't let Edward kiss me for the first few weeks of our relationship. Every locked up memory came back to me, flooding into my brain, flashing before my eyes. I was too stunned to move...then, I realized that I had to do something. What if Edward came back and found us like this?

I tried pushing him away; no dice. I dug my fingernails into his arms, and that didn't work either. So, I did what I had to do. I bit his tongue. Hard.

He yelled and let me go, and I took my chance. I darted out of the room and up the stairs. I locked myself in me and Edward's room, looked around wildly, and then shoved the desk in front of the door. Then, I dove under the covers, and hid in the middle of the bed.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

It seemed like I was under there for hours, sweating and shaking. Then, the door knob rattled and there was a thud, like someone had walked into the door.

"Ow." I heard. Then, "Bella?" It was Edward, thank God. I jumped out of the bed and pushed on the desk. It seemed a lot heavier now...

"Bella, what are you doing?" Edward asked, sounding truly puzzled. Finally I got it out of the way and unlocked the door. A second later, he opened it.

"Oh my God, Bells, what happened?" he asked, a shocked expression on his face as he walked into the room and shut the door behind him. I backed away from him as he walked forwards. I was happy he was here...but I didn't feel like I could get too close to him. His frown deepened, and he stopped walking for a moment, as did I. then, he took an experimental step forward, and I took one back.

"Bella..." he said again. My lower lip quivered, then I started to cry. I turned around and scrambled back under the covers to hide.

The bed dipped down next to me, and I felt a feather light touch on my back.

Slowly, with a lot of stuttering, I told him what had happened.

"He's gone." Edward told me, his voice barely controlled. "He passed me on the way in. He won't bother us anymore." He pulled the covers back a bit.

"How can you even breath under there?" he asked. I looked up at him, and almost shut my eyes again. His eyes were furious, it was like they were on fire.

"I'll be up in a few minutes, okay? Get to sleep." Then, he stood up and left. A few minutes later, I heard him playing Beethoven's ninth. It was what he played when he was angry.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Edward wasn't mad at me. I could handle the rest, as long as he wasn't mad at me.

This wouldn't break me down. I would be okay.

* * *

**Yay!! SHe's being strong!!!**

**Now, I will be supplying rotten veggies to throw at Derek. *hands everone a bucket of 'em* So, I think y'all were all expecting something way, way worse than that, but I just didn't have the heart for it. She's already been through so much!!**

**Everyone who reviewed...thank you!! Everyone who didn't...thanks for reading the story, at least!!**

**Now, let's get those reviews in. Please?**


	27. Chapter 26: You're where?

**I don't do these enough- DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. I don't own any of the songs or movies that I happen to mention in this silly little fan fic either. Don't sue me. I'm poor. **

**THank you all so much for the reviews!! longer author's note at the bottom, of course.**

* * *

Edward's POV

When I finished burning off my anger by playing the darkest songs I knew, I just sat there for awhile, staring at the ivory keys.

He was my friend. Derek had been one of my friends, but that didn't stop him. Next time I saw him...I don't know what I would do.

I finally stood up, my legs stiff. It was already midnight. I walked out of my office, shutting the door softly behind me, and then went up stairs. The door to our bedroom was open, and it was dark inside. I could hear Bella's gentle breathing. She was asleep. _Good. _I thought. _She was exhausted. She didn't need to wait up for me. _I took off my shirt and changed my pants in the dark, then carefully crawled into bed next to Bella, trying not to wake her. I didn't, and I lay down facing her. She was holding something, and when I looked closely, I realized it was one of my shirts. She'd fallen asleep in the same clothes she'd been wearing all day. I smiled as she mumbled something in her sleep, and then I put an arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer to me. I didn't do it carefully enough though, as her eyes flew open.

"Edward?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." I whispered, feeling guilty. She balled up my shirt and tossed it over me, it landing on the floor. I held back a cringe. I could pick it up in the morning.

"It's okay." she whispered back. "Are you okay now?" she asked, reaching up and laying her hand on my cheek. I was surprised at the question.

"Am _I _okay?" I asked in disbelief, my voice a bit louder than it had been before.

"That's right." She answered calmly. I shook my head.

"You're unbelievable. And yes, I'm perfectly fine." I told her, still shaking my head. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" I asked, confused. She shook her head.

"Nope. Can we go to sleep now, please?" she asked, and I just make out that she was pouting at me. I chuckled.

"Of course." I kissed the top of her head and she snuggled closer to me. "Goodnight, Bella. I love you."

No answer. She was already asleep.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

**Three days later.**

"Ow!" I heard Bella yell from the kitchen. I skidded to a stop in the doorway. It was 9:00 am, and she was leaning on the counter, her head in her hands.

"What is it? What's the matter?" I asked, instantly worried. What had happened? Did she hit her head? Did she break something? No I would've heard that...

Bella pointed at the coffee can that was lying on the floor, spilled open, then to the top shelf, then to her head.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She said through gritted teeth. "Go on. Go away." It was an order, and since it was still early, I didn't dare to go against it.

"I'll be in the living room..." I said, slowly backing out of the kitchen. Bella is not a morning person. I sat down in my chair and started watching a rerun friends, the one where Monica and Chandler finally get married. Then, the phone rang. Bella must've picked it up because it stopped ringing just as I got to it. A second later,

"You're _where?!" _was heard from the kitchen. I walked through the hall to lean against the counter. She had sat down in one of the chairs, and was massaging her temples.

"Emmett Gabriel Swan, what did you do?" She asked, obviously ticked off. I wondered what Emmett had done as well.

"Way to go Em!" she yelled, suddenly smiling. It startled me. She was usually so quiet.

"I love you! Don't worry, I won't tell Rose. I'll be there in a few minutes." then, she hung up.

"What was that about?" I asked as she set the phone down on the table.

"Emmett's in jail. He needs me to come get him." She said, sounding very proud. I smiled, confused, and asked what he did.

"He found Derek and beat him up. Can you believe it?" she said, smiling and standing up, heading upstairs to get dressed. I was a little mad, I had to admit. I'd been looking for him, planning to do the same thing. But, Emmett beat me to it. Oh well, as long as he got what he deserved, I could live.

A few minutes later, she came back down the stairs wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a red tee shirt. She was pulling on her jacket and her hair was up in a messy bun. She wasn't wearing any makeup. In other words, she was perfect.

"Keys to the Volvo." She said, holding her hand out and stopping in front of me. I froze. My car was my baby. If anything happened to it...

I just looked at Bella, like she was crazy. I didn't expect her reaction. She actually stomped her foot, then snapped twice, and held out her hand again, her face angry.

"Dammit, Edward, I'm not going to hurt your precious car. Give me the keys, _now._" She demanded. I was too scared to try to protest any more. I almost ran down the hall way and grabbed the keys off their hook on the wall and dropped them into her hand.

"Thank you! I love you. I'll be back soon." She said sweetly, and the door clicked shut.

Women are confusing.

**Bella's POV**

I could deal with Edward being a neat freak. But the way he treated his car was just stupid. I drew the line there.

I was glad that Emmett had found Derek, even if I had to bail him out jail for it. Derek deserved it. I owed my brother, big time. In fact I don't know if I'll ever be able to pay him back for everything he's done for me.

A little while later, I was driving Emmett home. He had a black eye, but that was it.

"How are you going to explain that to Rose?" I asked, pointing to my eye. Emmett shrugged.

"I'll tell her what I did, I'll just leave out the part about the cops..." I shook my head, laughing. We both knew that Rose would kill him if she found out about that part. I dropped him off in front of the apartment building, then drove back home, singing a little. I was happy today, even if my head did hurt from that stupid coffee can.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Today was the day. My baby was coming today. It was only 6:00 am, but I was wide awake.

"Edward." I said, trying to get him to wake up. I was sitting on my knees on the bed. How could he still be asleep? The room was quiet for another minute before it got too much for me. I shook him and half yelled his name again.

"What? What's going on? Where's the fire?" he asked drowsily, still half asleep.

"Edwaard! Wake up! Adele's coming today!" I sang. He opened one eye.

"Who are you and what the hell have you done with my girlfriend?" he asked. I huffed.

"Edward. Stop being grumpy and get up. We have to be at the airport in...four hours." I said, tapping my wrist.

"Bella. Go back to sleep. What happened to me having to get a water gun and spray you to make you get up?" he grumbled, shutting his eyes again and rolling over so his back was facing me. I frowned at his back, and peeked over it.

"But I can't sleep anymore! I'm too excited." I whined. He rolled over again and grabbed my hand, making me lie down again.

"Yes you can. _Please, _Bells!" he wrapped his arms around me and put his head down on my shoulder. He sounded so desperate that I didn't try to wake him up anymore. Surely I could last a few more hours. He never slept late, so...

I watched him sleep. He looked so...angelic. His face peaceful, his lips smiling just a tiny bit. His hair was messier than it usually was, falling into his eyes. Before I knew it, I was dozing off once again. Sleepiness was contagious.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Edward woke me up two hours later, at roughly 8:00 am. I got dressed in jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt, with black butterflies printed on it, my boots, and Edward's (my) letterman's, while Edward showered. I went downstairs, tripped twice on my down, and went into the kitchen. I made a glass of chocolate milk for myself, and coffee for Edward, then decided on cereal for breakfast. I opened the cabinet, and, to my annoyance, Edward had put it back on the top shelf, again. I scowled and drug a chair over. I climbed on top of it and got down the cereal. I turned around, carefully, to jump off the chair, and was met by Edward standing behind me, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He had on his jeans, but no shirt yet.

_Don't stare. _I reminded myself.

"Why are you up there?" he asked, sounding casual. He hung the towel through the handle of the fridge to dry, and lifted me down from the chair before I could scramble down myself.

"I was up there because I'm short and you always put stuff on the top shelf." I said, poking his chest, not gently, but not hard either. He just laughed his musical laugh and apologized as I poured the cereal into a bowl and sat down at the table to eat. He sat across from me and drank his coffee; he almost never ate in the mornings.

"Are you excited?" I asked, standing up to rinse my bowl out.

"Yeah. And a little nervous, too." He admitted, stirring his coffee. I just nodded as I set the bowl in the sink. I knew what he meant.

"We'll be okay." I said out loud, reassuring both us.

A few minutes later we walked down to the parking lot, Edward now wearing a black polo along with his jeans. I got in on the passenger's side of the Volvo, and tossed my bag in the back seat. I blinked, and did a double take.

"When did we get a car seat?" I asked Edward as he climbed in.

"Um. Friday. I figured it would be useful..." Edward said, fiddling with the radio while he waited to get on to the street.

"Yeah, it is, but...you didn't have to pay for it." I said quietly. Edward somehow managed to pay for everything, and it got on my nerves quite a bit. I had money, granted, not very much, but I had some. I could afford a few things.

"I know, I know Bella. Don't get mad at me over this, please? I wanted to get it." He said, reaching out and taking my hand with his right, driving with his left. I sighed and mumbled a little under my breath, but I couldn't stay mad at him for long. Not with a face like that.

Phil's baseball team was playing an away game in Boston in a few days, so he's taking the plane to New York with Adele, then he'll make his way to Boston from here. I'm glad things worked out like this; I wouldn't have wanted my mom or Phil to have to spend any extra money for a round trip plane ticket just to escort Adele to me.

Traffic was horrible, but that was expected. We finally got to the airport at 9:30, and Adele's plane landed at 10:15.

Edward and I sat down to wait. I ended up playing Sudoku on my phone (Edward had to help me out with over half of it.)

Finally, I looked up and spotted Phil walking towards us, a tired looking Adele hanging onto his hand. I stood up, slipping my phone back in to my purse, and tapped Edward's arm and pointed.

"There." I whispered as loudly as I could. There were just too many people for me to speak comfortably. I hooked my arm through his and stuck my hand in my pocket as we started walking together towards them. We didn't get far before Adele saw us. Even over the crowd, I could hear her angel's voice, soft and sweet, and babyish.

"Mommy!" She screamed, and pulled away from Phil. She was wearing a pair of pink lacey leggings, and white, long sleeved dress. She had Lion King backpack on. She darted through the crowd, and I gasped, afraid that some one wouldn't see her and would step on her. She was so little. I ripped my arm out of Edwards and sprinted for her. She probably wasn't in any real danger, but...she was my baby. I couldn't let her get hurt. I got to her and grabbed her...right as someone knocked me over.

"Bella!" I heard Edward yell as I twisted around so that I wouldn't land on Adele. Thank God I didn't. I had no clue who had hit me; they didn't stick around to apologize. Adele was laughing, and then, I had to laugh too as Edward pulled me to my feet and I scooped her up.

"That was fun, Mommy." She told me, still giggling a little, and leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

_"Mommy missed you!" _I signed to her, laughing softly. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, but some of it had come loose. I tucked a piece that had fallen in her eyes behind her ear. I had my baby again. Everything was right in the world.

Okay, not really, but it felt like it.

I had my two most important people with me. What else really mattered?

Adele reached out her arms to Edward, and he took her with a dazzling smile.

_"Hi, Phil." _I signed, and gave Phil an awkward hug. He was going to stay with us tonight, then head to Boston in the morning. We'd never been all that close.

My mom and dad got divorced when I was eight and Emmett was eleven. Emmett stayed with Dad, and I went with mom. When I was eleven, Mom and Phil got married. When I was twelve, I moved back in with my dad. We'd never really had time to form a great relationship, and I didn't need a dad. I already had one...at the time, he was just the man who my mom married. I know that he's legally my second father, but...really, he's just a friend.

The four of us walked to the car after getting Phil and Adele's luggage. Adele had two big suitcases, and Renee was shipping the rest of the necessary things to us, bless her. I know how expensive it is. And, I knew that between Esme, Rose, Alice, and probably Emmett, she would have more stuff than she needed in a matter of weeks.

Oh well. She deserved to be spoiled.

I sat in the back with Adele, while Phil rode in the passenger's seat. When we were alone in the car, I asked Phil,

"How's Mom holding up?"

The moment of silence didn't reassure me at all.

"Well, she's...She's a little sad. She'll miss Addie, and I will too." Phil said, sounding like he was only giving me half of the story.

"Phil..." I urged while Adele started singing "Twinkle Twinkle, little star." I heard Phil sigh in the front seat, and he gave Edward a look. Edward chuckled a little before turning his eyes to the road again.

"Okay, she's a mess. I literally had to pull Adele out of her arms at the airport this morning." He admitted, sound sheepish.

"Gwammie was crying, Mama." Adele added, trying to be helpful. I ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. I felt bad, but I'd needed my girl. Renee could understand that, right?

"Hey, Phil, have you ever thought about getting her a puppy?" Edward asked. "Not that I'm saying a dog could replace Adele, but...it might help a little. Maybe Renee's lonely." He added quickly. It was quiet in the car for a minute, except for Edward's John Mayer CD and Adele's soft humming.

"You know, kid, you might be on to something." Phil said, clapping Edward on the shoulder.

We stopped at a fast food place for lunch, and Adele busied herself with playing with her toy that came with her meal. Phil and Edward started to talk about sports, and I zoned out, watching Adele.

I wondered, when she got older, should I tell her about Brandon? I mean...that's just what every kid wants to know, that they were the product of rape, right? Ha. It would probably be less painful if she thought that Edward was her real, biological father. But...it was lying to her, too.

And then, how did I know that Edward was going to be around that long?

I shoved the thought out of my mind. I didn't know why...but something told me that Edward was going to be around for a long, long time.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

Adele passed out in her new bed when we got home, and Phil decided to take a nap as well.

"What about you?" Edward asked as we stood in the doorway of Adele's room, watching her sleeping form. "Are you tired?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I was a little tired, yes...but tired enough to nap? I wasn't sure about that.

"You?" I asked in a whisper, tilting my head to look up at Edward. He simply shook his head. But, he took me by the hand and pulled me into our room, shutting the door softly behind us.

"Something tells me we won't have much chance for this the next few days." He said before leaning down and kissing me. I smiled against his lips and went along with it, knowing that he was probably right. His hands settled at my waist and mine went around his neck.

After a few minutes, he slid his hands under my shirt, being careful not startle me. I was fine, for the most part. I was making progress. All of the sudden he broke away.

"What's this?" he asked, a little breathless. Then, slowly, his fingers started trace a line across my stomach, then another. I bit my lip. I had hoped that he wouldn't notice those. I gently pushed his hands away and straightened my shirt.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing, they're scars." He said, which I knew. He took a step back from me and lifted my shirt, just enough so he could see my stomach.

"Oh, Bella." He said, taking a sharp breath. "What are these?" he asked, gently tracing the slightly raised pink lines. I pushed his hand away again, a little more roughly this time, and jerked my shirt down. I didn't want him to see them.

"Fingernails." I told him bitterly, crossing my arms across my chest and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Fingernails?" he repeated in disbelief. I just nodded, looking at the floor.

"He did that...with his nails?" he verified, sitting next to me.

"Yes!" I snapped at him, not looking up. "How hard is that to understand?" I heard a faint swear, then he hugged me, and I didn't push him away. I didn't return the hug, but I didn't push him.

"I love you, Bella. I promise I won't hurt you. Not ever." He told me. It made me smile. He was so perfect, and he was mine. I was lucky, finally. I yawned, ruining the moment.

"Nap time?" Edward asked, sounding amused.

"Nap time." I agreed, kicking off my shoes and getting under the covers. Edward lay down on top of them on his side of the bed, not touching me, but facing me. He started humming my lullaby, and before I knew it, I was asleep

* * *

**Ahhh another update =) and gotten out at reasonable time, too!! I'm proud of myself, I must say.**

**Adele's finally back in the story!! I just couldn't wait any longer to bring her back, and somehow I don't think y'all mind too much about not having to go through another week and half worth of me chattering. Anyways.**

**Also...I loved the part with Emmett! It just seemed like the right thing to do. On what I did with Derek...you were all divided into two groups. Half of you wanted me to do something more dramatic/thought I was going to do something more dramatic, the other half was glad I didn't make him do anything too teribbly terrible. But...I liked this =)**

**And, yes, he stole her shirts, just to clear that up. I meant to do that in the actual chapter, sorry...**

**I'm afriad that there isn't all that much left for me to write!! I know, it's sad. I think I'm almost finished with this story....I'd say....ten more chapters, max. I think. I could be wrong about this. But then, amybe not. I'm rather indesicive today. **

**You see how hopeless I am without a spell check? Pathetic, isn't it....**

**So, I'd say you've probably had enough of my ramblings...I talk way too much, don't I? Anyways,until next update. **

**Review=love**


	28. Chapter 27: Don't Be Nervous

**Bella's POV**

The day after Adele arrived was a Sunday. Emmett and Rose, Jasper and Alice, and Carlisle and Esme all piled into me and Edward's apartment for lunch, and, for everyone except Emmett and Rose, to meet Adele for the first time.

"Adele, Baby...wake up." I leaned in the door way of her room while Edward knelt on one knee by her bed. My poor little girl had been exhausted; she'd gone to bed at 8:45 last night and it was now almost 9:00 in the morning. I watched as she slowly started to wake up, opening her eyes, and blinking a few times, then looking around the room.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Edward said, standing up. He held out his arms to her. "Let's go and get some breakfast while your mom gets dressed." Adele stood up on the bed and I inhaled sharply. She could fall! She'd gotten my clumsiness, after all. I took a step forward to grab her, but before I could do anything else, she wrapped her arms around Edward neck and he picked her up. He smiled at me as they passed, and I heard him say something about chocolate chip pancakes...

Whoa, wait a minute. Chocolate chip pancakes? Well, that cuts my getting dressed time in half...

While Edward carried Adele down to the kitchen, I walked down the hall and knocked on Phil's door, then peeked in. He was still in bed.

"Chocolate chip pancakes." I said, and he shot up. I laughed softly and went to go get dressed.

I hurried downstairs as fast as I could, now wearing jeans and sky blue tee shirt, and followed the aroma of pancakes into the kitchen. Phil had beaten me, and was sitting at the table with Adele on his lap. Adele was still in her PJs, her hair all tangled up and falling in her face, adorable as ever. She already had a mini pancake on her own little Cinderella plate. Edward had been almost as bad as Alice when he went shopping for the things that Adele would "need" with me.

He looked up from the stove and smiled, passing me a plate with three pancakes on it. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, then went and sat down at the table, after grabbing a fork.

Breakfast was quiet, in a good way. Peaceful, after a busy week. Soon after, Phil had to leave. He hugged me goodbye, ruffled Adele's hair, and clapped Edward on the back, and promised to say hello to Renee for us. Then he left. I was a little sad. I had to admit, I'd missed Phil a little.

I took Adele upstairs to get her dressed. She sat "Criss Cross Applesauce" on her bed while I rummaged through one of her suitcases that we hadn't unpacked yet for something for her to wear.

I ended up dressing her in a cream dress, with chocolate brown flowers on the skirt. It was a little bit on the dressy side, but I wanted her to be a little dressed up her first time meeting everyone. I was going to change my shirt before people started coming anyways; I didn't want Alice to yell at me.

I found her hairbrush (It had Belle on the back of it.) and started brushing her hair. It was just like mine, except it had a few waves in it. Brandon's hair had been kind of curly when he didn't gel it, so I figured that was where she got it from.

If I closed my eyes, I could see Brandon perfectly, the way he was when we first met. It was like my mind had taken a picture of him.

Adele squealed as I accidentally yanked the brush through a knot in her hair too fast. I sighed and apologized, kissing the tender spot.

The thing was...I really had loved Brandon. I know he did terrible things to me. But...he was drunk that night. I could taste the alcohol when he kissed me. I know, if he hadn't been drunk, things would've turned out a lot differently.

And, I knew that he really had loved me, a tiny bit, in his own way.

I still couldn't stop thinking about the way things should've happened with us. I'd had the perfect little life all planned out for us. It's funny how fast things can change in your life.

I put a little white headband in Adele's hair to keep it out of her face.

"Mommy, can I go play now?" she asked me, squirming in my lap.

"Yes. Just be careful not to get dirty, please." I answered softly. She hopped out of my lap and off the bed, and started playing with the tea party set that was set out on the tiny white table in the corner. She'd always been like that. Into all the girly things, like dresses, and princesses, and tea parties. Rosalie's mother would love her.

I left her door open, and crossed the hall to me and Edward's room to find a different, nicer shirt to change into. I heard the shower running. I looked around in the closet for something semi-nice to put on, and sighed. I didn't have a clue of what to wear. I ended up grabbing a few of my dressier shirts and laying them on the bed, then I poked my head into Adele's room to check on her. She was standing by her table still, with two bears and a doll in the chairs. She was setting the dishes around the table, and talking to her "guests" in a quiet voice. I smiled at the sight. She was just too sweet! I hurried back into my room and got my camera, just as the bathroom door opened. Edward came out, wearing jeans and drying his hair with a towel. I looked at him for a minute...then shook my head to clear it. He grinned, catching me staring.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer." He said, trying to sound offended. I laughed. That was just the thing Edward would do. But, I had a camera in my hands, and he'd suggested it...I snapped a picture while he was still smiling, not realizing what I was doing. I looked at it, and giggled.

"I just did." I informed him, waving the camera. "Now, come see Adele! It's so cute." Then, I scurried back across the hall. I made sure that the flash was turned off, then took a picture of Adele pouring "tea" into one of the cups. Her tongue was poking out of her mouth, and her brow was furrowed in concentration. It was the perfect picture. I felt Edward behind me. He rested his chin on the top of my head and watched Adele with me. I could tell he was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face.

We were a family. A real family. I can't even explain how that felt.

Just as I pulled the yellow sweater over my head, I heard the sound of Alice's voice downstairs. She'd let herself in with her key, of course.

"Helloooo!!" Alice yelled. I knew that Edward and Adele were down in Edward's office, so I hurried down the stairs, only tripping once on the way down. Alice was waiting for me at bottom, tapping her foot. I could hear Edward's footsteps, followed closely by Adele's.

"Hey, Alice." Edward said, reaching out to give Alice a hug with one arm. He was holding Adele's hand too. Alice didn't even acknowledge Edward. Instead, her eyes locked onto Adele, and she grinned. Alice swooped down and scooped up poor, helpless Adele in the blink of an eye.

"Hello there! You must be Adele! I'm your Aunt Alice." Alice began chattering to her as she carried her off. Jasper was in the living room already, his shoes off. He had the remote in his hand, and was watching the beginning of the Nascar race. He looked up as we entered the room.

"This is her?" he asked, sounding a little excited, his eyes on Adele, who looked perfectly content, chattering away at Alice.

"That's her." I answered, sitting down on the couch and tucking my legs underneath me. Over the past few weeks, it had become easier and easier to talk with Jasper and Alice. It hardly bothered me anymore.

I was getting over this strange fear of speaking, very quickly. Soon, I would have hardly any problems with it all.

"Bella, she's beautiful." Jasper said, turning his head and giving me a smile. Jasper was the serious one. He'd seen a lot in his life, and it showed. He didn't talk too much either.

"Thank you." I replied, smiling and looking at Adele. Jasper was right.

"Ali, don't hog the baby. I want a turn." Jasper spoke up, getting to his feet and plucking Adele out of Alice's hold. Alice's face fell, but she didn't protest like I thought she would. Edward sat down next to me and slung his arm over the back of the couch. I leaned back and his hand rested on my shoulder.

"She's a hit." He said softly, just to me. I was watching Jasper with Adele. Like I've said before, Jasper is the serious one. And yet, here he was, smiling and laughing at Adele, and tossing her up in the air.

It was Adele. She had a strange way of bringing out the best in everyone she met. People turned into someone that even they might not recognize around her. It was just the kind of person that she was.

There went the doorbell. Edward got up to get it and came back with Emmett and Rose. Emmett squealed, yes, _squealed, _and took Adele from Jasper. Jasper frowned, but just walked across the room to give Rose a hug. Adele screamed,

"Uncle Emmy!!" and threw her little arms around my brother's neck. Emmett only allowed two people to call him Emmy, Rose and Adele. Rose, well, because that was her nickname for him when they were little, and Adele because she couldn't say "Emmett" all that well yet.

Rose dragged me and Alice into the kitchen after a few minutes. I wasn't worried about Adele. I knew that, although my brother wasn't the most mature person in the world, he could look after Adele as well as I could, probably better, and Edward was just fine too.

Alice perched on the counter and Rose and I sat down at the table.

"Well." Rose started. "Alice, would you be my bridesmaid? Bella's going to be my maid of honor. I had just enough time to clap my hands over my ears before Alice started jumping around squealing, reminding me quite a bit of Emmett. I could still hear her tell Rose,

"Of course!" before she jumped on Rose and proceeded to hug her so tightly I was surprised Rose could still breathe. A moment later, Adele appeared in the doorway, chewing on her fingernail.

"Mommy." She said, and came over to me, and scrambled up onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"What is it baby?" I asked her. Rose and Alice were quiet now, but Alice's expression was still ecstatic.

"Nack, please?" She meant she wanted a snack. I looked at the clock. It was going to be time for lunch soon.

"Can it wait a few minutes, Sweetie? It'll be lunch time soon." I told her. Perfectly reasonable, right? I thought so. But, Adele gave me her mad face and slid off my lap and stalked out of the room. I rolled my eyes as Alice and Rose laughed a little.

"So, Ali, Bella, would you both help me plan this thing?" Rose continued, referring to her wedding. "To tell the truth, I have no idea of what I'm doing." She admitted, smiling sheepishly. "Not that either of you need to tell that to my Mother..."

Then, Edward walked into the room, carrying Adele.

"Alright, what do you want, Munchkin?" he asked, smiling at me and opening the fridge. My jaw dropped. She was two years old and she already knew _that _trick. If Mom says no, go to Daddy and turn on the cute little girl charm. Works almost every time. I sighed and smacked my head with the heel of my hand as they walked out of the room.

"Well, she caught on fast." Alice commented, sounding proud. I just shook my head.

_I am _way _too young for this! _I thought.

A few minutes later, Esme and Carlisle arrived. They were the two that I was most worried about. I held Adele as they walked in, and Esme headed straight for me, while Carlisle held back and greeted Edward and Jasper, and was introduced to Emmett.

"Oh, Bella." Esme breathed, her eyes on Adele. She gave me an awkward, one armed hug, then looked back at Adele.

"Bella, she is beautiful! Oh, Sweetheart..." Esme said. Esme was only eight years older than I was, but I considered her my New York mother. It was just the way that Esme was.

"May I hold you?" Esme asked Adele, then took her out my arms. They felt strangely empty without Adele's weight.

"Hi, Esme." Edward said, coming over to us and hugging his aunt.

When Carlisle came to see Adele, we had problems. She took one look at him, and took off running in the other direction. The room went silent.

"What did you do to her?" Esme asked him, a teasing twinkle in her hazel eyes. Edward started laughing, then Alice. Adele latched on to my leg and I bent down and pried her off, and picked her up.

"What's the matter?" I asked her. It was a little weird that she was fine with everyone except Carlisle. Kids usually loved Carlisle. Adele wrinkled her nose at me and looked back at poor Carlisle, and said, very loudly I might add,

"He smells funny."

Now, everyone, including a very red Carlisle, was laughing. Emmett was the loudest, as usual.

Okay, everyone except Adele. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked rather angry.

"Why is everyone laughing at me?" she yelled above the laughter. No one could answer her though. It just made us laugh harder.

I don't know why I'd been so nervous about Adele being introduced. Everything went smoothly, Esme, Alice, and Emmett fought for her attention, and I only broke one glass.

By the time everyone left, it was 9:00, and Adele had passed out on the couch, across Jasper and Alice's laps. Edward had taken her up to bed already. I trudged up the stairs, worn out, and into our room. Edward was brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

"I'm going to get changed now, okay?" I said to him, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He nodded, and I shut the door. Soon I had changed into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and I knocked to let Edward know I was finished.

He came out a minute later, wearing his usual tee shirt and pants. He smiled at me, and then wrapped his arms around my waist and bent his to kiss me. As usual, I simply stopped thinking. The next thing I knew, I was pulling Edward's shirt over his head.

"Bella." Edward breathed, breaking away to catch his breath. He'd pushed my shirt up, but hadn't taken it off all the way. I was perfectly fine...except I didn't want to stop.

"If we keep going, I don't know if I can stop." He admitted, smoothing out my shirt and resting his forehead against mine. I realized I was shaking a little, but from nervousness, not fear.

"W-what if I don't want to stop?" I asked, my voice hardly more than a whisper, and shaky. Edward blinked, and sat down on the bed.

"You want to? Are...are you sure?" he asked, sounding surprised. I sat down next to him.

"Yes." I said, more nervously than before. Did he not want me?

Then, Edward smiled my favorite smile, and pulled me closer to him.

"Don't be nervous." He said, pushing my hair out my face. "If...if you need to stop, just tell me, alright?" I nodded, trying to steady my breathing. He started kissing me again, and carefully started to take off my shirt, and I wasn't scared, or uncomfortable. Just...happy.\

* * *

**There we have it! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out...things are kinda crazy for me right now. **

**I _think _that this is the last official chapter. Think. I'm fairly certain I've tied everything up (If I've missed anything, PLEASE let me know!!), but I AM going to write an epilogue, which will probably skip time a lot, and cover things like Rose and Emmett's wedding, Adele growing up...so on. I'm not going to do a sequel though. What would it be about????**

**I have a new fic up. It's called "A Bow In Her Hair." It's an Alice/Jasper one shot, based off the song "Travelling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks. Go read it, please?**

**In memory of Daddy's Little Cannibal. She was legend, and she will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace.**


	29. Chapter 28: I Swear

**Here we go =)**

* * *

**October**

"Bella?" I heard Rose call from across the room, sounding slightly panicked. I didn't blame her at all...it was wedding day. There were twenty minutes until she walked down the aisle, and she was freaking out.

I hurried across the room to where Alice was putting the finishing touches on Rose's hair. It had been curled, and now Alice was working on pinning up certain pieces of it.

"Bella, what am I doing?" Rose asked me, her hands fluttering in her lap. She looked beautiful, even more so than usual. I tried not sigh. She'd been like this for the past three days.

"You're marrying my brother, who you love, and making the best decision of your life. Stop worrying!" I assured her. Fortunately, Alice had finished with my hair and makeup before taking over on Rose's.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're right." Rose said, taking a deep breath. Alice looked at me and rolled her eyes dramatically as she put another piece of Rose's golden hair in place.

"Go finish with Adele." Alice said, shooing me off. I smiled and nodded, walking back to where Adele was coloring.

"I'm almost finished, okay, Baby?" I asked, kissing her cheek. I knew she was tired of being treated like a doll. She sighed and nodded, only pouting a little.

"Okay Mommy." She said, picking out a different crayon out of the box.

It was October now. Edward and I had known each other for almost a year, Adele was now three, I was twenty, and Edward was twenty-three. To tell the truth, nothing really big had happened since Adele had moved in. Well...actually, there was one little thing.

_"Bella, come on. Let me in, please?" there was a dull thud, and I could almost see Edward, his hands on the door frame of the bathroom door, his forehead pressed against it, and his eyes closed in frustration._

_"Just a minute!" I said, my voice a little shaky. I was sitting on the edge of the bath tub, watching my watch tick away the seconds. Just thirty more..._

_"Can you please tell me what's going on?" Edward said from the other side of the door. I felt incredibly guilty for keeping this from him, but...I was scared. I didn't know how to tell him. _

_I glanced down at my watch again. It was time. I stood up and looked down at the pregnancy test on the counter. _

_Negative. _

_I could breathe again. I felt like crying, I was so relieved. I just wasn't ready for another child yet. Someday...probably. I know that Edward wanted another kid in the future. But not now. _

So, I'd had a pregnancy scare, but I shouldn't have worried. I glanced down at my flat (sort of) stomach. Nope, no baby in there. But, that was the only really exciting thing that had happened lately, until today.

My big brother is getting married. Wow.

I got back to work on Adele's hair, carefully pinning up certain pieces of it, copying the style that Rose's was in. While I did that, I was also tucking tiny white flowers in where ever I could make them stay.

There was a knock, then the door opened. In walked Edward, his hand over his eyes.

"Everyone decent?" he asked, stopping just inside the doorway. Alice and I both laughed. Adele yelled,

"Daddy!" And hopped down from her chair and ran to him.

"You can look, everyone has clothes on." I said. At least I had finished with Adele's hair. Edward chuckled and uncovered his eyes, then bent down to pick up Adele.

"Hey, Princess. You look beautiful." He said to her, and planted a kiss on her forehead. Adele giggled.

"Thank you, Daddy! Down now." She pointed to the floor. Edward laughed again and put her back on her feet. She skipped back towards me, and settled back into her chair, coloring the picture of Jasmine, out of Aladdin. Edward looked even more dashing than usual in a tux. The shirt was dark green and matched his eyes perfectly. He walked over to me and kissed me chastely on the lips. I heard Alice whistle and pulled away to glare at her. Edward just laughed.

"You're gorgeous." He told me, holding me at arms length and looking me over. I blushed a faint pink and he chuckled.

"You don't look so bad yourself." I said to him, flirting a little. This time last year, I would never have done this. It was a little strange, looking back, to see how much I'd changed. Edward flashed me his crooked smile.

"Emmett's freaking out. How's Rose?" he asked, a little more serious now. He glanced over at my sister in law, fidgeting nervously while Alice put the finishing touches on her hair.

"Same." I answered simply. Edward smiled, amused. Then, there was another knock on the door of the Bride's room, and the preacher came in.

"Hello." He said, smiling to everyone in the room. He walked over to Rose, who was twisting a tissue in her hands.

"Well, Rosalie. It's almost time. Are you sure about this?" he asked her. I was a little surprised. Why was he doing this? The Preacher dug in his pocket, and then pulled out a set of keys.

"See these? These are the keys to my car." I was even more confused. "If you don't want to do this, you can take these, right now, and get out of here. The tank is full. Do you want to take them?" he held out the keys to her. She glanced from the keys to his face, then back down again. Finally, she looked him in the eyes.

"No. I'm marrying Emmett, even if it kills me." she said, her voice confident. I smiled. I was proud of her. The Preacher smiled widely, and stuck the keys back in his pocket.

"Good. I figured you would say that. By the way, you have seven minutes." He nodded his head to all of us, then left.

I turned to look at Edward, a confused look on my face.

"He did the same with Emmett, just before I came to check on you guys. I think it's just one of those things..." he glanced down at his watch. "I'd better get going. I love you, and I'll see you in just a few minutes." He pecked me on the cheek, then left.

A few minutes later, we were gathered just outside the doors into the sanctuary. Rose, Mr. Hale, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Adele, and me. Rose had her bouquet, a mix of red roses and white daisies. Alice's and mine were the daisies, along with pink roses. Adele had her little basket filled with rose petals of all colors; red, yellow, peach, white, pink. Emmett was already standing in his place, next to the preacher.

It really was a fairly small wedding. The church itself was actually rather large, but that was okay. Rose and Emmett had invited just over one hundred people (to Mrs. Hale's dismay.) Excluding the five reporters and photographers that Rose had decided to invite.

"I would rather have a few there by invite than have a bunch of idiots crash the wedding." She'd explained.

"It's time." One of us said, and Alice and Jasper stepped forward. They'd be walking down together, and parting to stand on their respective marks. She smiled up at him, and they walked through the doors together. I watched them for a moment, then bent down to go over Adele's instructions with once again.

"I _know, _Mommy!" she said, obviously tired of me fussing over her. I straightened again, and looked up into Edward's eyes.

"Are you ready, Love?" he asked, wrapping his arm around my waist. I nodded. I'd been a little nervous about walking down the aisle alone, with so many people watching if I tripped (like I was sure I would,) but I knew that Edward wouldn't let me fall. We stepped into the door way. Edward lowered his head and whispered,

"This could be us someday, if you want it to be." Then, we were walking down the aisle together. I focused on my brother, waiting anxiously. He looked so handsome, so grown up. I was so proud of him. I stole a few peeks up at Edward too.

I went over his words in my head. He wanted us to get married. To tell the truth...I wanted it too. I knew I would be even more panicked than Rose was, but I wanted it, as long as it was Edward waiting for me.

We walked up the four steps together, passing Emmett at the bottom, then we had to part and stand in our places. Alice greeted me with a smile as I took my place next to her. I turned my gaze back to the doors. Adele would be coming next. Sure enough, there she was. She looked so small, and even more angelic that usual. She started scattering the rose petals as she walked down, doing her job perfectly....until she got to the last four rows.

My poor baby had been cursed with my clumsiness. She tripped over...something, and fell onto her hands and knees. There were several gasps from various places in the room. She started to cry, her rose petals spilled, and I started towards her, as did Emmett, but Edward moved faster. He was down the steps before Emmett could take more than three steps, and said something to him. Something like, "I've got her," then continued towards her. He knelt down in front of her and scooped the petals back into her basket, then set her back on her feet, brushing her off. Several people, "awwed," and cameras flashed. I wasn't surprised. Edward was fairly well known in the entertainment world; he was a composer, one of the best. He'd written songs for movie soundtracks. He asked her something, then picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. She happily threw the remaining rose petals to her right and left.

Edward set her back down after they'd gone up the steps, and she walked daintily to her spot next to Alice, while Edward returned to his. There was no ring bearer; Emmett "didn't want to trust Rose's ring to a little kid."

Rose and Mr. Hale appeared in the doors, and started down the aisle as the traditional song played. From where I was, it looked like there were faint wet spots on his cheeks. Rose leaned over and whispered something in her father's ear.

Rose's POV

"Daddy, don't cry. I'll always be your little girl." I whispered in my dad's ear.

Bella's POV

Before too long, the ceremony was over, and my brother was a married man. Next up...the pictures. The ones specifically for Emmett and Rose, that is. Not the magazine photos, of course. First came the pictures of Rose, Alice, me, and Adele. Then, Emmett, Edward, and Jasper. After that, there were pictures of Emmett and Rose together. One was taken on the playground of the church, with them both sitting on the swings. Another one saw Emmett with Rose in his arms, Bridal style of course. Rose was laughing, and Emmett was smiling down at her. My favorite was one of them sharing a simple kiss in front of a tree trunk, with their initials carved in it.

There were a few with Adele and Rose. One of them had Rose sitting next to Adele, touching noses and giggling.

Then, there were a couple of Alice and Jasper together.

Finally, there were pictures of Edward and me. I didn't like it very much, but then, I never liked having my picture taken very much. I was getting tired of having my picture taken, and Edward could tell.

"Just one more, okay?" he coaxed, kissing my nose. I held back a sigh and nodded. The photographer led us into the courtyard, and had me sit on the edge of the fountain, but said that Edward was fine the way he was with a smile. I raised an eye brow, but said nothing. The photographer got into his place....

And Edward got on one knee, and held open a blue velvet box that he had pulled from his pocket.

I faintly heard the snap of the photographer's camera, but it seemed like the rest of the world had faded away. It was just me and Edward.

"Bells, I love you, and I swear to never hurt you. You're my whole like, and I can't live without you. Will you marry me?" He said, giving me my favorite of his smiles.

I didn't even have to think about it. I started nodding, unable to speak. Edward's smile got wider than I had ever seen it.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Yeah." I answered, finding my voice again. He laughed in a relieved way, and slid the ring on to my finger.

What a glorious day.

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**Alrighty. This isn't the epilogue. Nope, that's still to come!! This was orignally going to be IN the epilogue, but...I decided it was too long, ya know? So I just gave it a chapter to it's self. **

**What did you guys think? That thing the preacher did? That's actually something that the pastor at my church does. Haha. He says that he would rather the bride or groom back out of the wedding at the last minute than them put themselves through a divorce later. **

**Ugh. divorces are awful. Not that I've ever been through one, but, it always effects so many people, even if they aren't directly involved...**

**Anyways! I have the links to Rose, Alice, Adele, and Bella's dresses on my profile (or will in a few minutes) and I'm lookin for Bella's ring. So, go check them out!!**

**And, of course, review! Until next time...**


	30. Chapter 29: He Didn't Have To Be

**So sorry for how it took me to write this!! But...this is the longest chapter I've ever written. And, I've had a ton of stuff going on lately. forgive me?**

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Jacob's POV

Well, this was it. I'd officially missed my chance, once and for all.

Bella was getting married in seven minutes. I'd done what I'd told myself I would. I hadn't fought for her, because I knew that would've just hurt her, and that was the last thing that I wanted to do. '

Edward had offered the position of groom's man to me, because of Bella, but I'd refused. He'd looked at me for a moment, then clapped me on the back and didn't push it. He understood.

_What are you doing, Jake? _I thought as I walked into the room where all the wedding party was gathering, except for Edward. I nodded to Emmett and gave Rose a one armed hug. Adele latched onto my legs, and scooped her up, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and a smile, before I set her down again. Then...I made my way to Bella.

She was beautiful. She always was, but even more so today. Her dress was simple, which suited her. She'd always liked simple things. She looked nervous.

"Jake!" she said in surprise when she looked up and saw me. I smiled. I loved her voice, and I'd missed it after...

"I didn't know if you were going to make it." She said, smiling. I knew that she really was happy to see me. I could read Bella, better than anyone else could. We understood each other, in almost everything. Except for this one little thing that she'd missed...

She stood up to give me a hug, and I laughed. I'd grown some more since the last time we'd seen each other. The top of her head was at my chest.

"You grew!" she accused, poking me in the stomach. I laughed again, and nodded.

"Yep. I'm getting close to seven feet." I told her. She rolled her eyes and hugged me. I hugged her back.

Wow. I'd forgotten how small she was. How...what was the right word? Fragile she seemed. I bit the inside of my lip, and made myself let go.

"You know I wouldn't miss this." I said to her, truthfully. I wasn't about to hurt Bella like that, no matter how much it tore me up.

Rose came over to us.

"Bella, it's about time." She said excitedly. Bella instantly looked nervous again, worse than before. She nodded to Rose and turned back to me.

"I'd better go." I said, and started to leave. But, Bella grabbed my hand.

She was torturing me and she didn't even know it.

"Jake! Am...am I doing the right thing?" she asked me, looking up into my eyes. How was I supposed to answer that?

"Yes. You're doing the right thing. Edward's a good guy, he loves you." _Almost as much as I do. _I added in my head. "and you love him, right?" Bella nodded. "There you go." I said, forcing myself to smile.

She wrapped her arms around my stomach in a hug again.

"Thanks, Jake. You always know what to say."

_Yeah. I say all the right things, at exactly the right time. But, it's never meant much, has it? _

I shook my head. I wasn't really angry with her...just a little frustrated, at both her and myself.

"Bella, I really have to go now. It's almost time." I reminded her gently. She nodded.

"I know. Go, before I stop you again. I'll see you after." Bella told me, giving me a little push. I nodded, not able to smile anymore, and turned. I didn't go and sit up in the front pews, like the other guests, but in the very back row, in the shadows. Barely a minute after I sat down, I saw Edward get into place, and the music started.

Emmett and Rose walked down the aisle.

Two people I didn't know, the girl very short, with short, spiky black hair, and the guy about average height, with scars on his hands and face, and honey blonde hair.

Then came Adele, carefully sprinkling rose petals, making the way for Bella...She was four now. She was growing up so fast...she looked so much like Bells, except for her eyes.

A moment after Adele had stopped on her mark, the crowd rose. I stayed seated. No one could see me anyways. Cameras flashed. Women sighed at the sight of Bella.

Here she came, taking careful steps, her arm hooked through Charlie's. I don't think I'd ever seen Charlie smile so big a smile.

Bella...

Her face was serious, and concentrated. I knew that she was worried about tripping. Then, she turned and looked right at me.

As she took the next step, she relaxed visibly. She smiled, a real smile, one that reached her eyes. Then, she faced forwards again, and her eyes fixed onto Edward.

She saw me, when no else could, when I didn't want to be seen.

I kept watching as she finished her walk down the aisle, and Charlie gave her away to Edward.

It hurt. Like someone was stabbing me, over and over and over again. But, I dealt with it. Bella wanted me to be here. This was what she wanted.

And, as Charlie gave her away, let her go, so did I.

**Bella's POV**

It was over. Edward and I were officially married. Next came the reception, then the honeymoon.

Life moves fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you just might miss it.

Before I knew it, Edward and I had danced the first dance, then Charlie cut in for the Father-Daughter dance, and Edward "danced" with Adele. She stood on his feet and giggled the whole time. They were so cute.

Then, Edward and I danced for a few more songs.

"May I cut in?" a deep voice asked after a song ended. I looked up, into the eyes of Jacob. I smiled. He was my sunshine. He'd helped me through a lot. I owed him so much, and I didn't know how to give hardly any of it back.

Edward nodded, and let Jacob take his place.

"I didn't know you could dance." I said, after a moment. I really hadn't. He didn't seem like the kind of person that would know how to dance, and he was almost as good as Edward.

Jake shrugged.

"I have a few surprises."

We didn't talk much. And for the first time that I could remember with Jake, I felt like I needed to. There was something different about Jake right now...It was like my sunshine had dimmed. I just couldn't find the right words in my mind.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward and Alice dancing together.

Finally, I managed to say,

"Jake...what's the matter?" His eyes met mine, and after a moment, he smiled.

"It's nothing, Bells. I was just thinking." I knew he was lying, but I didn't pry into it. Jake deserved a little privacy every once in a while.

The song ended, too soon. I'd missed Jake. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, almost four months before. I saw him look down at his watch.

"Bells, I'm sorry, but I'd better go. My plane leaves in two hours, and I have to get back to the other side of town..." he trailed off, his eyes sad. I nodded glumly.

"It's okay. You were here. I'm glad you managed to make it, Jake." I stepped forwards and wrapped my arms around his stomach, and buried my face in his chest. I was going to miss him.

Jake hugged me back, and we just stood there for a long minute. Neither of us wanted to let go.

"Keep in touch, Jake. Email me, call me, anything..." I said, finally breaking away. It had been a little bit hard to breathe, and I felt myself tearing up. Jake nodded.

"Yeah, I will. And, Bells..." he started. He took a deep breath before going on. "I'll always be here. No matter what you need. I'll be there." He stooped and kissed my forehead, then hugged me again.

"I love you, Bells." Then, he turned and walked away. I watched him go. It was strange...it seemed like this time, he'd meant something different when he said "I love you" every other time before. Like there was something hidden there, right in plain sight, I just couldn't see it.

"Esme and Carlisle are going to Adele home now." Edward stated, laying his hands on my shoulders as he came up from behind me. I turned around so that I could see him, and nodded.

"Okay. Where are they?" I asked as his hands moved down from my shoulders to my hands, lacing his fingers through mine. Edward tilted his head to the left, and I nodded again. We walked to them together.

Adele was already asleep, in Carlisle's arms. After their first meeting, they'd gotten along perfectly fine. Carlisle just had to switch colognes.

Edward and I each kissed Adele on the forehead, then hugged both Carlisle and Esme. They would be watching Adele while we were on our honeymoon.

Once again, time seemed to move in a blur. Before I knew it, it was all over, and Edward and I were off.

**Two years later**

Adele was six years old today. Six years old!

She was her Daddy's little girl, through and through. She had Edward wrapped around her little finger.

We'd moved to the suburbs around the city last year. We had a house now, a real house, not too far from Emmett and Rose's. They had a little baby boy, Luke, who was now fourteen months old. He had his dad's brown curls, and Rose's eyes.

Alice and Jasper were engaged, but they'd had to move, sadly. They were now living in Houston, Texas, because of Jasper's work. Alice was constantly sending emails and called once a week. They were doing just fine.

"Mommy!" Adele yelled from upstairs. I walked up them, and into her room to see what was wrong, then had to bite a finger to keep from laughing. She had her head stuck in her shirt.

"Hold still." I told her, and knelt down in front of her, then helped her straighten her shirt.

"Hurry up and finish, birthday girl. Daddy's making pancakes." I told her with a wink, and kissed her on the cheek. I left her room and walked across the hall to me and Edward's room, then into the bathroom. I needed a washcloth, there were no clean ones in the kitchen. I dug around in the cabinet below the sink for one, and my hand hit a box, and it fell over, spilling it's contents. I sighed softly and started picking up the tampons and stuffing them back in box. I was about to put the last one in, then I sat back on my heels, turning it over in my hand. It had been awhile since I'd touched these last...

Still holding the tampon, I walked out of the bathroom and looked at the calendar above the dresser.

_No..._I thought, staring at the date. I was a week late? I walked back to the bathroom and tossed the tampon back under sink, and grabbed the wash cloth I needed. I could hear Adele thundering down the stairs.

I walked back out of the bathroom and stared at the calendar for another minute, then made a spilt second decision. I stepped over to the phone and dialed Rose's cell.

"Rose? Could you do me a favor?" I asked. I took a deep breath. "When you come over later...could you bring me a pregnancy test?"

I held the phone away from my ear as Rose started screaming. Then, I could hear another voice wailing, Luke's.

"Oh, damn, I woke up Luke. Of course! I'm sorry, but I've really got to go, Bells..."

"It's fine. I'll see you later." I said quickly. Rose hung up a moment later, and so did I.

What was I supposed to tell Edward? What if he wasn't ready for a baby? What if he didn't want one at all?

I pushed those thoughts out of my mind. I didn't need to panic. I would deal with all of this later.

Well...it was later. Rose had been there when I'd taken it, as we slipped away from the party for a few minutes.

I had taken two. They both came up positive. Rose squealed and clapped and hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. I was happy...but scared out of my wits, too.

Now, everyone was gone, Adele was tucked in her bed, and Edward and I were getting ready to go to bed ourselves.

"E-Edward?" I stuttered. I had to tell him sometime, right? It had to be now, or never. If I waited any longer then I'd have too much time to think.

"Yeah?" he answered through a mouthful of toothpaste. I sighed and waited for him to finish brushing his teeth. I shivered, and rubbed my arms to try and warm myself up. Why was I so cold?

I jumped as Edward's warm hands replaced mine.

"What's the matter?" he asked, rubbing my arms. "You're freezing."

Oh God. I don't think I can do this.

"Um." I mumbled, unable to manage anything else.

"What is it, Bells? Spit it out." Edward coaxed, his hands slowing. He was watching my face carefully, like he was trying to see into my mind.

"I think I'm pregnant." I blurted out. I didn't even realize I'd said it out loud until I risked a glance up at Edward. His green eyes were wide, and his fingers were frozen on my shoulders.

He was in shock!

"Edward?" I asked timidly. This was new. He didn't answer, but abruptly sat down on the floor, letting go of me.

He didn't want the baby. He didn't want this. I inhaled sharply in the form of a sob, and it hurt, physically. It felt like I'd been hit in the stomach.

I turned around and darted out of the room, faster than I knew I could. I just knew that I had to get out of there. I couldn't breathe. I hoped Adele was already asleep; she hated seeing my cry just as much as Edward did. I made it into the guest bedroom and managed not to slam the door, then, just my luck, tripped over nothing.

I got to my feet again. I was slowly calming. I crawled into the bed, hiccupping, and lay down. It was warm here. I closed my eyes, but I didn't go to sleep. My mind was to busy for that.

**Edward's POV**

Bella. Pregnant. My baby. My thoughts were all jumbled, I couldn't think straight. I shut my eyes and leaned against the chest at the foot of the bed, trying to get my mind back in order.

Bella had been nervous.

She'd told me she thought she was pregnant.

Pregnant. If she was right, I was going to be a father. I already was, in a way, with Adele, but something told me this was different. I loved Adele just as much as any father would love his daughter, probably more than a lot do, but...I always know that she really isn't _mine_. And that I'd missed a lot of things in her life, even it had only been two and a half years that I hadn't been there. A lot of things happen in those years. Learning how to sit up, how to crawl, how to walk, how to speak...

I was happy. Really, I was, but...I was scared. I hadn't really been expecting this...well, that was an understatement, but anyways. I didn't know how to do any of the things I would have to. With Adele, it was a different story. When she came into my life, she wasn't helpless. She could feed herself, sort of. My mind flashed back to the terrible yogurt incident, and I was caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to shudder. She could walk. She could be left alone in a room for the short amount of time it took to go to the bathroom. She could tell you what she wanted, and understand what you told her...

And, I freaked out again. This tiny person, coming into the world, completely helpless, tiny, depending on me!

I didn't know if I deserved that role. If I could even try to fill the shoes that were set before me.

"Daddy?" I hadn't even heard Adele come in. She knelt down in front of me, her hair falling forward and framing her heart shaped face. The spitting image of Bella.

"Daddy, what's going on? I heard Mommy crying...and what are you doing down here?" she asked, worry in her childish voice and in her light green eyes. We'd never discussed it, but I knew that her eyes must've been Brandon's.

"Well, Addie...Daddy's stupid, that's what." I told her grimly. She nodded solemnly.

Bella and I hadn't told her that I wasn't her biological father. We'd never said it out loud, but I think there was an agreement between us that we just weren't going to mention it, unless there was no other option.

Was it the best idea? No, probably not.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed. It's late." I told her, and got my feet. She stood up as well, and took my hand in her little one. I tucked her back into bed, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Night, Sweetheart. Happy birthday." I said, and switched on her CD player. There was a cd of my piano arrangements on it that she liked to fall asleep to.

Then, I walked down the hall and into the guest bedroom. I could just see Bella lying on the bed in the darkness. It looked like she was asleep. I padded across the room, the soft carpet muffling my steps, and carefully lay down next to her, hoping that I wouldn't wake her. I knew she was tired. She deserved to sleep.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I'm a big jerk, aren't I?" I told her sleeping form. I didn't know why I was talking to her; what good does it do if she's asleep? But, I did anyway. I guess I didn't want to go to sleep with all this still on my chest.

"Yeah, I know I am. I'm sorry, again." I took a deep breath. "I'm happy about this. I know, I didn't really give off that impression a few minutes ago, but trust me on this. It's just..."

**Bella's POV**

"I don't know if I can do this." Edward said, his voice catching. He obviously thought I was asleep. I listened in silence. This was a rare moment, Edward letting his guard down so completely, giving me the un-edited version of what he was thinking. He always felt like he had to be strong, superman, for me. Unbreakable.

"I've never...I've never been a position like this before, you know what I mean? I don't know if I can be everything I have to be. I don't-" his voice broke and he stopped for a moment. "I don't want to mess this up." He said, his voice choked. I heard him sniff softly and gasp.

He was crying. My Superman, Mr. Unbreakable was _crying._ I knew I should do something, anything, comfort him like he always did for me, but I was so stunned that I couldn't even move.

Then he moved closer to me, and I snapped out of it.

"Oh, Edward..." I whispered, wrapped on arm around him and scratched his scalp gently with my other hand. I know it sounds a little weird, but he likes it. For the first time, he was crying on my shoulder, instead of the other way around. He jumped, but didn't pull away. Instead, he pulled me closer to him and buried his face in my shoulder. He didn't cry like I cried, sobbing and loudly, but almost silently. He didn't sob, along took sharp, shuddering breaths.

"I didn't know you were awake." He finally croaked. I was amazed to find that his voice was still beautiful.

"Edward, you're going to do just fine." I started, getting straight to the point. "You're not going to be alone, you'll still have me with you. I know a little bit about kids you know." I laughed softly, trying to cheer him. He didn't laugh, but buried his face deeper into the crook of my neck. I sighed softly and ran my fingers through his hair. He nuzzled my neck and placed a kiss on my collar bone.

"You're going to do just fine." I promised him, reaching down to lay a kiss on his hair. "I love you."

**Seven months later**

"Edward." I shook his shoulder. I felt huge. I was huge. And, it was time to go.

"What? What is it? What's the matter? Is it time?" Edward sat straight up and rubbed his eyes hurriedly. He looked over at me.

"Yeah." I said softly. I was elated that this was almost over. I would have my body back soon! No more throwing up, no more stupid cravings, no more crazy hormones! And, Edward had been in an almost constant panic for the past week. Adele was excited. Alice was excited, and had flown up for this week, and told the baby that he needed to come every hour since she'd gotten off the plane.

Edward jumped out of bed and pulled on his pants that had been laying on the end of the bed.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Um..." He looked around the room wildly, and switched the lamp on. I sat up. He ran his hand through his hair, then again. I slid out of bed and slipped on the pair of vans by my side of the bed. What can I say? They're comfortable. Then, I pulled my hair up into a messy bun. Meanwhile, Edward was running around the room like a headless chicken.

"Edward." No answer. He was looking for his shoes. "Edward!" I almost yelled. There went the next one. I hissed in pain and sat back down. Edward's eyes widened.

"What do I do?" he asked frantically, running over to me. By the time he was in front of me, it was already gone.

I groaned. This was going to be a long night.

Drew Anthony Masen had arrived. He weighed six pounds and eight ounces, and was twenty inches long. His eyes were blue, as most newborn's are, and his hair was brown, but lighter than mine.

I hoped he looked like Edward. I wanted Drew to have his eyes, and his hair. But, it really didn't matter. He was healthy. I would always be happy with him.

I made Alice take pictures for me. She'd been there through it all, taking the place of my mom, who was now on the flight up from Florida.

I'd been in labor for eight hours, but it was worth it. My baby boy was beautiful. Now, we were in my hospital room. I was sitting up in bed and holding Drew. Edward sat at the foot of my bed. Emmett stood next to me, staring down at his nephew's face and grinning. Rose had her arm hooked through his, a small bump visible under her shirt. Emmett was hoping for a little girl this time. Esme and Carlisle were watching Luke; they would come up to meet Drew later.

Alice snapped pictures right and left.

Adele was asleep on the little couch. She'd been up all night, waiting with Emmett and Rose.

And Jake...Jake was here too. He'd made it an hour before Drew was born. He leaned against the wall, all seven feet of him, and watched. He'd been pretty quiet.

"Jake? Do you want to hold him?" Jake jumped; he'd been staring at Drew's face.

"Um.." He looked a little nervous. I smiled at him and waved him over.

"Come on. You'll do fine." So, he walked over, and I carefully put Drew into his arms. Jake straightened, very, very carefully. I was amazed by how tiny Drew looked. I bet he could fit in the palm of Jake's hand. Jake slowly relaxed, and a smile spread across his face.

There was the Jake I knew.

**Three years later. **

"Edward, when are you coming home tonight?" I said into the phone, not even trying to hide how angry I was.

"I don't know, okay Bella? I don't know. I have a ton of stuff to do." Edward answered, sounding just as angry as I did. I resisted the urge to roll the window down and toss the phone out it. What had been going on lately? We'd been fighting so much lately, before, we almost never did. And over stupid little things, too, like who was going to pick Adele up from school.

"I know you do, Edward." I sighed. He was getting ready to open his new music studio in a month. Of course he had a lot of work. "But I want to know when you're going to be home. We miss you. I miss you." I said, my anger evaporated, replaced with frustration and despair. He'd been working a lot recently. He hadn't been home for dinner all week. It was silent on Edward's end for what seemed like hours. I stopped in front of the school and waited for him to say something.

"I'll be home when I get home." And he hung up. He didn't even say 'bye.' After a moment, I pressed the end button on my phone and set in the cup holder as gently as I could, which wasn't very. I thought back through the past week and a half.

No "I love yous."

We'd been sleeping on opposite sides of the bed.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head, not wanting to think about it and searched the crowd of kids for Adele. Drew was jabbering away to his toy cars in the backseat. Ah. There she was. She trudged to the car and got in the back seat, tossing her backpack up into the passenger's seat. She had her left arm in a cast; she'd fallen off the swings last week.

"You okay, Baby?" I asked her as I pulled out of the line of cars. I saw her nod in my mirror.

"Yeah. I'm tired." She answered, staring out the window. I nodded, not pushing her any further. If she had anything to tell me, she would. I know, it seemed stupid, but it really did work between me and Adele.

I put her favorite CD in the player as we drove home. It wasn't far from the school. I pulled into the drive and Adele got out, got her back pack, and walked up the front walk while I got Drew out of his car seat. He was getting so big! He had Edward's eyes and Edward's hair...but my nose. He got my nose. He'd also inherited his father's grace...

I unlocked the front door and we trooped in. Adele went straight up to her room, and I set Drew down on the floor. He ran off to the play room.

Things were quiet for awhile. It was nice. I didn't get quiet days very often. Then, at 4:30, the phone rang.

I answered it, of course.

"Is this Isabella Masen?" a man's voice said. Well, this was different...So, I told him that I was.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I have bad news. Your husband was in a car accident and is now in Busch Memorial hospital. We have him in the IC unit."

I gasped, and dropped the phone. It hit the ground with a crash. I felt my eyes widen. _No...Not Edward. _

"Addie!" I screamed as I scrambled to grab the phone off the floor. I heard a door slam upstairs and foot steps thundered down the stairs.

"Ma'am?" the man on the phone said as I pressed it back to my ear.

"Oh my God. Thank you. Um." I realized I was crying.

"Mama?" I heard Adele's scared voice at my side. I looked down.

"Ask at the front desk. Give them your name and they'll tell you where to go. Have a good day." The man on the phone told me, then hung up. _Have a good day, yeah right. _

"Addie, go pack a little bag, _hurry._ You and Drew are staying at Uncle Emmett's tonight." I told her, trying to control myself. I couldn't panic. Now was not the time to panic. Adele nodded and raced back up the stairs, not questioning me. She could tell this was serious. I dialed Emmett's number as I walked to the playroom in search of Drew.

"Yello?" Emmett's voice answered as I scooped up Drew. He started to scream, angry that I'd taken him away from his toys, but I ignored it.

"Emmett?"

"Bella, what's wrong? You're crying." Emmett said, going into big brother mode. I carried Drew up the stairs and into his room and set him down on his bed. I could hear crashes on the other side of the wall, Adele's room.

"Em, Edward was in a wreck. He's in the hospital!" I sobbed as I grabbed a bag and started stuffing clothes into it.

"What? Is he okay?" Emmett asked, sounding alarmed.

"I don't know!" I yelled into the phone. "I have to go to the hospital, and you have to take care of the kids!" I was really crying now. Adele came in, white faced, her dance bag over her shoulder. She took Drew in her arms and got him to quiet down.

"Okay. I can do that. I'm on my way home now." I could hear the acceleration of his car as he spoke. "You can drop them off. Anything Bella, I'm here." I didn't even answer. I just hung up, threw the phone down, and jerked the zipper of Drew's bag shut. I threw it over my shoulder. Adele was crying too now.

"Is Daddy going to be alright?" she asked, looking terrified. Drew started to wail again, distressed because we were.

"Yeah. Yeah, Sweetie, Daddy's going to be okay." I told her, trying to make myself believe it. "Come on, let's go."

I drove like crazy. Like Edward. I got to Emmett and Rose's house and he was waiting outside for us. He opened the door and got Drew out of his seat and Adele got out on the other side.

"Thanks Em. I'll call you, okay?" I told him. I didn't even wait for an answer. I left him standing there with my kids and their bags.

As I drove, by myself, I really started to go to pieces.

_Not Edward. Not him. I can't live without him, he's everything. _I thought, zooming past other cars, speeding ridiculously.

The next thing I knew, I was yelling. Out loud.

"I need him! You can't take him from me!" I screamed to the air. It took me a minute to realize who I was screaming at. God.

Somehow, I made it to hospital. I parked crookedly, didn't care, and ran through the doors. People turned to stare at me.

"Edward Masen." I gasped to the woman at the desk. She took one look at me, and very, very slowly, clicked a few things on her computer and told me in a bored voice,

"He's in surgery. You'll have to wait. Fourth floor, waiting room C." I didn't take the time to thank her.

I sat and waited. And waited. Hours passed. Or maybe it was minutes. I wasn't sure. Some Soap Opera was on the TV. I didn't pay any attention to it.

Then, at last, as doctor came in.

"Isabella Masen?" he called, looking around. I stood up, wiping my cheeks. He smiled and walked over. They don't smile like that when they have bad news, do they?

"He's made it out of danger. Has anyone told you what happened yet?" I shook my head, letting out a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding.

"It seems like another driver swerved out of their lane and hit Mr. Masen at an angle that caused his car to flip and roll three times. Mr. Masen had three broken ribs. One punctured his left lung. He has a concussion, and his left leg has been shattered here, here, and here." Each time he said "here" he pointed to a different spot on his own leg. The first was his knee cap, the second was his shin, and the last was his ankle.

"He had a deep gash on his forehead, and another on his cheek. We had to dig a decent sized piece of glass out of his right forearm. He lost a lot of blood. His left arm was broken in two places." I was stunned by the list of injuries. Oh, Edward...

He was going to live.

I called Emmett. He and Rose were going to bring Adele and Drew up, along with Luke and their daughter, Emily.

I sat in that same waiting room and waited for them. Edward was in his room now, but it would be a few hours before he woke up. It felt like a huge weight had been taken off my chest. I could breathe again. He was going to be okay.

"Mommy!" It was Drew. I looked up, and here he came, running towards me. I stood up and swung him up into my arms and hugged him tight to my chest, then hugged Adele with my other arm.

"Is Daddy okay?" Adele asked, looking up at me with scared eyes. I just nodded. I didn't think I could speak past the lump in my throat.

Then, Emmett was with us too. He wrapped his arms around us all and kissed the top of my head. A moment later Rose, Luke, and Emily joined the group hug. It was several minutes before we broke apart, when Emily started to cry. I set Drew back on his own feet again, my arms tired; he was getting to be a heavy little kid, but kept his hand in mine. It was still so small.

"Em, Rose, thanks so much for helping out." I told the two of them. They just nodded. "Um. Only immediate family is allowed right now, so I'm going to take Drew and Adele, okay?" Rose nodded.

"Emily and Luke are really tired, Bella. I think I'm just going to go ahead and take them home, if we can't see Edward tonight." She said as Luke yawned. I nodded. What time was it even? It was probably really late...

Rose left with Luke and Emily in tow, but Emmett stayed with me. We rode the elevator to the third floor, and looked for the room that the doctor had told me that Edward was going to be in. Emmett sat down in one of the chairs in the hallway, while I knocked on the door, then went in with Drew and Adele.

I could hear the heart monitor beep softly. I peeked around the corner and there Edward was, lying in the hospital bed, still in the drugged sleep. His left arm was in a sling. He didn't have a shirt on, but his chest and side were heavily bandaged. The lower half of his body was covered by the sheets, so I couldn't see his leg. There was a nurse with a clip board looking over things by the monitors. She looked up as we walked in.

"He should be waking up any time now. Within the hour." She told us before she left. Adele and Drew sat on the window seat together, Drew in Adele's lap, almost asleep. I took the chair by the hospital bed, and sat criss-cross in it.

Adele and Drew were asleep after half an hour of waiting.

I managed to stay awake, although when I looked at the clock in this room it was after midnight by now. I had Edward's hand in mine, and was watching his face.

He was going to have to use a wheel chair for a couple of months, until the breaks in his leg were almost completely healed up. They would be too weak to support his weight until then. There was a rod in his leg too, to help it along. He was going to hate that.

But, it could've been a lot worse.

"Bella?" my head snapped up. His voice was weak, and it almost broke my heart. I smiled at him, leaned forward, and brushed the hair out of his eyes, then kissed his forehead.

"Hey." I said softly. Edward shifted a tiny bit, and winced.

"I'm not dead, am I?" he asked groggily; his mind was probably still a little foggy from the anesthesia. I laughed a little. It was one of those times when you had to laugh or cry.

"No. No, you're not dead. But you scared us." I told him in an almost whisper. I didn't want to wake the kids. Edward shifted again with a soft groan, but he was facing me now.

"I'm sorry." He took my hand. He felt so weak...

"I'm sorry about everything." His voice was coming back now, still not as strong as his normal voice, but closer. It didn't scare me so much now.

"Everything. All the stupid little fights, being a jerk, everything." He said. I shook my head.

"Not right now. We can talk later. Right now, you need to sleep. Addie and Drew are going home with Emmett." I told him, carefully slipping my hand out of his. He nodded, not protesting for once, and shut his eyes.

I sent the kids off with Emmett. Poor Addie was dead on her feet, hanging onto Emmett's hand. Emmett carried a sleeping Drew. I was so glad I had Emmett at that moment. He was a truly amazing big brother.

I slipped quietly back into Edward's hospital room and sat down on the window seat.

"What are you doing over there?" Edward asked sleepily.

"Getting ready to go to sleep, like you should be doing." I said, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"No, I want you over here." He said, reminding me a lot of Drew.

"Do you think that's allowed?" I asked skeptically. I didn't really think it was.

"How should I know? And why should I care? Come on, please, Bells?" I shrugged. What harm could it really do? So I carefully, nervously, got up on the hospital bed, on his right side, and lay down. I tried very hard not to jar Edward. He sighed.

"Bell-laaa." He whined softly. "You're not going to hurt me! Come closer, please?" How could I argue with him? So, I scooted closer to him, and laid my head very gently on his shoulder.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yeah." He answered. We didn't say anything else. What else did we have to say? The important thing was that he was going to be alright, and we were together.

"I hate this thing." Edward complained as I helped him hop into his wheel chair. He'd been home from the hospital for a week, and....let's just say that my jaw hurt quite a bit by now.

"I know you do, Edward, but there's nothing that either of us can do about it. Sorry." I said, trying not to snap at him. I walked out of the downstairs guest room, where we'd been sleeping, and out to the kitchen. It would be time to take Edward to work and Adele to school in around an hour. I opened the fridge to figure out what I was going to make for breakfast, then let the door fall shut again and leaned against the counter and shut my eyes. I was so tired. I turned around and rested my elbows on the counter, and my head in my hands. I didn't know how long I could keep this up, taking care of Addie and Drew, taking Edward's place at home, dealing with him moping about his situation....

"Bells?" I looked up. I hadn't even heard Edward come in. I stood up straight, pretending nothing was wrong.

"Hm? What do you want for breakfast?" I asked with a smile that was completely fake. It was a strange feeling to be looking down at Edward.

"Bells, come on. What's the matter?" he asked, not answering my question. I just shook my head at him and turned around. I knew what _I _wanted for breakfast anyways. I took out a box of cheerios and poured them into a bowl, and started munching them.

"That's not true and you know it." Edward stated from behind me, and I could tell that he had crossed his arms. I felt everything bubbling up, and before I k new it, I was yelling.

"What's wrong? Everything! This past month and a half I've been having to do _everything! _I know that you have this big studio opening soon, but that doesn't give you the right to act like you have been! I'm stressed out, and behind in everything that I need to be doing, and guess what? You moping around and whining and complaining, and acting like everything is my fault, and I can't do anything doesn't help me! So, you know what? Why don't you get your own breakfast this morning. And help the kids get dressed. And get yourself to work, and Adele to school." With that, I walked out of the kitchen and out the back door, slamming it shut.

Suddenly, I was having flashbacks of my mom and dad's relationship. I could remember waking up to them yelling, and my mom throwing things. The door opened behind me.

"Mom?" It was Adele. "Mama?" I hurriedly wiped the tears off my cheeks.

"Mom, daddy wants you to come back inside so he can talk to you." She said quietly. She was like me, she never knew what to do when people started breaking down on her. I nodded at her.

"Okay, Sweetie. Go get ready for school." I told her. She nodded back at me and went inside. After a moment, I followed her. Neither Drew or Adele were in the kitchen just Edward. I couldn't tell what he was feeling from his expression, for once.

"Can we talk? I think we've put it off long enough." He said. He sounded like he was beating himself up.

"Where are Drew and Addie?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the wall.

"Addie is getting dressed. Drew's still asleep." He answered in that same tone of voice.

I could feel all my anger slowing draining out of me, but I struggled to keep it there. I always, _always _let him off the hook. Nothing ever got resolved that way.

Edward sighed, and ran his good hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Bells. You're right. I've been an ass lately, haven't I?" I nodded in response. Edward sighed again.

"I don't know how to fix this." He admitted. That was when I sighed.

"Edward, I don't either. Sometimes, you can't know what you're going to do in every situation. Sometimes, you just have to play it by ear, learn as you go." I said, and looked it the clock. Adele had to be to school in twenty minutes. It was quiet for a minute.

"Okay." Edward said. "I'm going to try to do better. I won't be at work so late anymore and I'll try not to be such a jerk, and I'll spend more time with Drew and Addie." I nodded, and walked to the pantry and took out a couple of granola bars. I tossed one to Edward. He caught it with his right hand.

"We need to go." I told him. He nodded, and I walked past him to call the kids, but he caught me around my waist.

"Bella?" I looked down at him. "I love you." He said, seriously. I couldn't help it, I relaxed, and smiled at him. I hadn't heard that in a while now, and I could tell he meant it.

"I love you too." I had a feeling that, with a little work from both of us, things would work out just fine.

**One year later.**

Edward was walking again by now. He limped a little, but he was walking. He was all healed up now. It was great. No more wheel chairs, we could move back up to our room...

The music studio was doing very, very well. Edward was teaching piano and guitar, and had hired other teachers of all different instruments.

Jasper and Alice, having been married two years ago, were finally moving back to New York. Jasper had been here, house hunting in the neighborhood, about a month ago. They were still looking, but they would be here soon.

Things had been rather quiet since Edward's accident, other than the few little fights that Edward and I had before things got worked out between us.

Things were going well.

**Two years later.**

"Happy birthday dear Drew....Happy Birthday to you!" We sang to Drew as I set the cake down on the table. He was six years old. And...I was going to turn thirty this year. Yay, I think.

"Blow out your candles." Edward told Drew. "Make a wish!" Adele added. Addie was eleven, but she would be turning twelve in a few short months. Edward would be thirty three in March. I was doing all I could to prepare Edward for the next thing in Adele's life: boys. But, really, how do you prepare a dad for that? I had a feeling things weren't going to be pretty...

But, for right now, It was Drew's day. He was six years old! He would be starting "big kid school" as he calls it, the next semester.

Drew blew out his candles, and the flash of Alice's camera went off.

Alice and Jasper had finally moved back to New York, and lived about a block away from us. Alice usually popped in for a visit at least once every other day.

I felt a little strange, not having a camera in my hands. Over the last couple of years, I'd found the thing that I loved doing; photography. It had become my career. But, Edward had taken my camera away yesterday.

"A weekend without it, please?" he'd pleaded. And, he did the Alice pout. How was I supposed to say no? But, I was managing.

It was funny. I was being reminded of Rose and Emmett, when they were little. Except, it was between Drew, and his friend Shey....

Shey was a beautiful little girl. She lived next door, and went to the same kindergarten class as Drew did. She was six years old.

She had long, very blonde hair, and sky blue eyes. She was so sweet.

I stole a glance at Emmett. He was watching the cake eagerly, with Emily on his shoulders. She looked so tiny up there! Emily had inherited Emmett's hair, just like Luke, and her eyes were Emmett's too. But, she had Rose's build. Small.

Then, I looked at Rose. She was in the corner with Adele, her arm slung over Adele's shoulders as they watched the littler kids at the table.

I wondered if Drew and Shey might end up like Em and Rose...

**Three years later.**

It was five in the afternoon. Adele and Drew were home. Addie was up in her room, doing her home work, I hoped, and Drew and Shey were out playing in the backyard.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Um...hi. Is Adele there?" It was a boy. This was the day that Edward had always feared. I smiled to myself as I heard feet over my head, a door slam, and then Adele on the stairs.

"Yes, hold on just a minute." Adele appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, looking hopeful, and slightly alarmed. I laughed on the inside as I held out the phone to her.

"For you." I said happily. She blushed crimson, darted forwards and snatched the phone out of my hands, and ran back up the stairs with it. I stood for a minute, lost in thought.

She'd really grown up. She looked almost exactly like I had when I was fourteen, except, of course, for the eyes. She hadn't grown out of the clumsiness, unfortunately. Except for when she was dancing. It was amazing, she had perfect balance and grace when she in the dance studio, or up on stage, but as soon as she traded the ballet slippers for bare feet or any other kind of shoes, she would be falling all over the place. Oh, yes, and let's not forget when I had to take her bra shopping a little over a year ago.

I sighed softly, peeked out the window to check on Drew and Shey, then went back to organizing my photos.

A half hour later, Adele came back into the kitchen, put the phone on the counter, and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. I looked up.

"So, who was that?" I asked, interested. I laughed out loud as she blushed. Yes, just like me.

"Teddy. Teddy Essen. From school." She said quickly. I nodded.

"What did he want?" I prompted. Adele sighed.

"He wants me to go to the movies with him on Friday night." She admitted, making it sound like she was fessing up to a crime. I smiled to myself again. Yes, the day Edward dreaded.

"You'll have to ask your dad about it." I told her, feeling a little evil. I wasn't so sure, but, if she could convince Edward to let her go, I would agree. Adele groaned, and stomped out of the room.

I looked down at the table again. We still hadn't told Adele about Brandon. We'd just let her believe that Edward really was her dad, all these years. She'd never really dug too deeply into our past, or when she was born. I wondered if we would ever tell her, if we even should, at this late date.

I brushed it off, and started getting out what I needed to make dinner. I would cross that bridge when we came to it, which would hopefully be a long, long time from now.

"WHAT?" I heard Edward yell from the living room. So it had begun. Me? I was staying out of this. It was between Edward and Adele.

**Edward's POV**

No wonder Bella had been acting weird all night. I ran a hand through my hair.

"No way." I said to Adele. She was fourteen! Way too young to be dating. I could still see her, as clearly as if it was an hour ago, when she was five years old, and was in her first ballet recital. She'd been the smallest in her class. She was so excited about it...it was all she talked about for two weeks before it. I could still see her, learning how to ride her bike. She'd scraped her knees and her hands over and over again, but she'd gotten it, in the end.

I looked down at her, standing in front of me in the here and now. Her mouth had dropped open, and her eyes were angry.

"Daddy!" she yelled. "Come on. I'm a big girl now, Dad. I can take care of myself!" she yelled at me. I sighed. Where was Bella when I needed her?

"How do you know?" I asked her, strangely calm. "How do you know you can take of yourself? How I do know? What if something happens to you?" I asked. I couldn't help but think of Bella, and what had happened to her.

"Daddy, please. Just trust me on this. Please?" Adele asked. She stepped forwards and hugged me. I automatically hugged back. She was still so small. I bit my lip. Every father with a daughter had to do this eventually, right?

I can't believe I'm saying this...

"Fine. You can go." I said through gritted teeth.

**Bella's POV**

I was surprised at how well Edward dealt with the first date.

And the driving lessons. Those were hard, though. I'd prefer not to remember them more than I have to.

Now, Adele is sixteen, has her own car, and a driver's license. She's grown up so fast...

And Drew. Drew's eleven years old now. He and Shey are still best friends. Drew...he's still the spitting image of Edward. He's already as tall as I am, and three inches taller than Adele.

Something was up. I could tell.

We were sitting at the table eating breakfast on a Saturday morning. Normal enough. But Adele was...I didn't know what was up. But there was obviously something wrong.

"I'm going to Shey's. Bye." Drew said as he carried his plate to the sink. He gave me a hug, then he left. A moment later, the front door slammed shut.

"So..." Adele started. Her voice was angry, to say the least. Edward looked up, and our eyes met. He was asking me if I knew what was going on. I shrugged.

"So..." he repeated, waiting for her to go on. Adele crossed her arms, and her fingers drummed on her arm in agitated manner.

"So, I was social security card yesterday to fill out that job application at the dance studio...and guess what I found in your desk, Mom?" This was going to be bad.

"What did you find, Addie?" I asked. I didn't have a clue of what she could've found that would've gotten her this upset. Her eyes sparked angrily. But, there was more than anger there, I noticed. Confusion, and hurt.

"My birth certificate." She said in hard voice.

Oh. _Oh. _Now I knew what this was about. And, glancing across the table, so did Edward. I put my head in my hands.

"Who the hell is Brandon King?" Adele yelled, shattering the silence. Neither Edward or I spoke.

How could we have been so stupid? Of course she would find out, eventually. And the longer we'd waited to tell her, the worse the explosion would be.

Up until yesterday, she'd thought that she really was Edward's daughter, but we'd had her before we got married.

"Who is he?" Adele asked again. I couldn't look at her. How was I supposed to explain this to her? It was deathly quiet in the house, for what seemed like a long time, but it was probably only a few seconds before Edward spoke.

"Bells...I think it's time." I looked up, at him, and nodded. Edward and I stood up at the same time.

"Come on, Addie. There are some things we need to show you." I said quietly.

Adele sat down on Edward's side of the bed in our room, and Edward stood by the door. I rummaged through the closet, until I found the box I was looking for, shoved into the shadows at the very back. It was just a plain, cardboard box. Nothing special about it.

I sat down next to Adele on the bed, and set the box down between us. Taking a deep breath, I opened it, and took out an old picture album, and rubbed the dust off the cover. I didn't think even Edward knew about this box. I'd always kept it well out of the way, not wanting to think about it's contents. I'd thought about just tossing it in the trash on several occasions, but something had always told me that I'd need it some day...

I glanced up at Edward, and noticed that he looked curious. I smiled at him, the best I could manage, and patted the spot next to me on he bed. He came and sat next to me. I saw Adele glance at him, anger in her eyes. I couldn't blame her, really.

"I put this together when I was sixteen." I said quietly, looking back down at the unopened album. "Just a few days after my birthday." I took a deep breath, and opened it for the first time in well over a decade.

Staring up at me from the first page was a picture of myself and Brandon. This was what this album was of, me and Brandon. In the good days.

So, with a little help form Edward and the pictures, I told Adele the whole story.

"I. I'm going to..." Adele stood up abruptly. "I've gotta get out of here." She said, looking paler than usual, then ran. Edward stood up, looking like he was going to follow her, but I stopped him.

"No. Just let her be for awhile." I told him softly.

**Adele's POV**

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I ran down the stairs, tripped on the last stair and fell onto my hands and knees. I just sat there on the floor for a minute. How could they have done this to me? I felt like screaming until I lost my voice. My parents had been lying to me for my whole life! I wasn't who I thought I was.

I pushed myself back to my feet and grabbed my keys off the counter. I slammed the front door on my way out. I got into the drivers seat of my car. It was my baby, a Mustang GT. My dad, no, Edward, had gotten it for me for my birthday this year. I pulled out of the driveway without knowing where I was going. I had nowhere to go. Esme, Carlisle, Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice, Aunt Rose and Uncle Em....they'd all lied to me, just like my parents.

Before I knew it, I was at the old elementary school. It was deserted, since it was a Saturday. I parked, staring at the playground.

I didn't have a jacket. At least, not one of mine. I reached behind me and found Dad's jacket that he'd left in here the other day. It would work.

It was the middle of November. I was greeted by a cold blast of air the moment I stepped out of the car. I slid my arms into the jacket quickly, and buttoned it up with cold fingers. It smelled just like Dad.

But he wasn't my dad. He was Edward.

I walked to the empty playground, and sat down on a swing.

_Edward. He...he deserves the title of "Dad" even if, genetically, biologically, he isn't. In ever other way, he has been my dad. He taught me how to ride my first bike, he read me bedtime stories and tucked me in when I was little. He would braid my hair for school when Mom was sick. _

I looked down. _He would bring me here on the weekends if asked him, and pushed me on this very swing. _

_Edward _is_ my Dad. _

And, I could forgive everyone for not telling me. To a certain extent, I understood why they had. Because they didn't' want me to know how I came to be. It would've been easier if I'd never found my birth certificate.

But, I was glad I'd found out. It was something I needed to know.

I got off the swing and started walking back to my car. I needed to go home, to my amazing family. I wanted to tell Edward "thanks", for being the dad he didn't have to be.

* * *

**Finished. At last. I have to admit, I'm kind of happy it's over. However, I'm going to be going back and editting certain chapters, in fact, a lot of chapters. I'm sorry for any confusion in the epilogue; when I was writing it, I discovered that I completely messed up every single date that I put into this. So, I have to go back and fix that.**

**THank you to each and everyone of you readers!! I coudln't have done this without you. **

**I loved Drew. So cute!! He was my favorite of the kids, other than Adele. **

**I didn't really give Jake an ending. Feel free to imagine whatever you want happening to him. With me, he never got a girlfriend, or got married or anything. He just went on with his life, and was there for Bella, whatever she needed. **

**Alice and Jasper really weren't all that important in this story. **

**Eh. this epilogue didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to, but this was the best I could do as of now. I'll probably end up fixing this up too. If you have any questions, ask them. I'll be happy to answer them. **

**Just a last reminder to everyone to check out my community, and my other fics. **

**And...since this is the end, how about everyone who reads it drops a review. Tell me what you thought, of this chpater or the whole story. **

**Goodbye, everyone!!**

**Love,  
Dani**


	31. Author's Note

**Hey there! Long time no see, huh? **

**I'm just dropping in to let y'all know about a few things. **

**First, I'm currently going back and editting Speechless, fixing spelling mistakes, grammer mistakes, fixing my time-line errors, the works. I've done up to chapter 4 and am currently working on 5. **

**Second, Speechless is being translated into Polish! If you speak or read Polish, go check it out. Search "Krejzololo" under authors to find it, since I've been having a ton of problems with getting links to work. Thanks so much for doing this, Krejzololo!! **

**And, lastly, I have a new fic started. It's called "I'd Lie." A few of you are already reading it, and I'm sure the rest of you would like it too. Here's a preview of it. **

"Anyways, let me get this straight. You told Amber the funny blonde joke that Emmett told us the other day?" I asked. Edward nodded. I smacked myself on the forehead, then rolled up a magazine that was sitting on my desk. I stood up and smacked Edward across the nose with it. He yelped.

"What the hell?" he yelled, sitting up. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're an idiot." I said, trying not to laugh as I sat down next to him, criss cross.

"I'm lost." Edward said, falling back again, and tangling his hands in hair, about to pull it again. And people wonder why it always looks like he just rolled our of bed...

"Edward, stop and think for a minute. What color hair does Amber have?" I asked him, making sure to talk extra slow. For such a smart guy, he could be pretty stupid.

Alright, I'm not saying that no blonde can appreciate a blonde joke. But Amber...

Think...cheerleader (not that we have any at our school, but if we did....) Think....Chihuahua in the purse. Think...."Seriously, coach, you want me to play volleyball? -dramatic gasp here- I'll break a nail!" Think....Barbie.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit. But, just a little. Anyways, Amber was the type of blonde who only 95% of them can really appreciate a blonde joke. I still couldn't see what possessed Edward to date her.

"Crap!" Edward groaned, snatching the magazine out of my hand and smacking himself with it.

"Now do we get why she's mad at you?" I asked as he beat himself over the head with the magazine.

"Yeah." He said as I took the magazine from him. He sat up, and turned so that he was facing me.

"Now, the question is, how do I fix it?" he asked, more to himself than me. I sighed.

"It's simple. Go buy her perfume, say you're terribly sorry, an idiot, you never meant to insult her, she's beautiful-"

"Okay! Okay, I get it." Edward said, laughing a little, holding up his hands. He stood up.

"Thanks, Bells. You're a lifesaver." He kissed the top of my head.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, then left the room with a wave. A minute later, the front door slammed, and he was gone.

I groaned and flopped onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling.

It was the classic story. Edward and I had been friends since diapers. We grew up together. Went through the awkward stages of middle school together (He had braces, I had glasses) and now we were seniors in highschool.

And, of course, somwhere along the way, he'd stolen my heart."

**Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Go read, please?**

**Okay, that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read! **


	32. Author's Note, again

**Anyone else tired of author's notes? I sure am. **

**I've decided not to edit Speechless anymore. It was my first big fic, and I was bound to make a few mistakes. It'll be okay. So...it's officially complete!!!**

**As of right now, I have 994 reviews for Speechless, 98,663 hits, 407 favorites, 326 alerts, and Speechless is in 7 communities. THank you all so, so, so much for your support!!! Wow. **

**So...once again, I'd love it you would all check out my other fics. For those of you who are reading "I'd Lie," I'm working on an update. It'll be out soon enough. **

**~Dani**


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